The Unbound Soul
by Mrs.InsaneOne
Summary: Ripped out of his world by an incomprehensible force on the night his parents died, young Harry Potter is cast into a world far different from that which he'd been born into. Bad luck and worse timing see the traumatized child falling into the hands of a man without scruples and his life is forever changed by the unethical experiments that are performed on him.
1. The Experiment

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><strong>The Unbound Soul<br>**Chapter One: The Experiment

_October 31, 1981, 11:57 PM  
>Godric's Hollow, England<em>

"Lily, it's him! He's here! Take Harry and run! I'll try to buy enough time for you to get the two of you out!" Dad's voice bellowed just seconds before Mum's arms scooped fifteen month old Harry James Potter off of the floor.

"Be careful, James!" Mum cried back as she began running for the stairs.

Frightened by the fear he could hear in his mother's voice, Harry twisted around in his mothers arms to stare over her shoulder at his father. As he watched, the door to the small cottage he'd lived in with his parents for as long as he could remember was blown open and a scary looking man with black hair, pale skin, and red eyes stepped into the house. Little Harry's eyes widened in fear as he watched his father step in front of the scary man with his arms wide open in an effort to block the man's path. Harry let out a cry of fright as the scary man cast a frightening green light at his father from the pale wand Harry could see in his hand.

"Dada!" Harry cried desperately as he watched his father fall to the ground the instant the green light touched him.

"James…" Mum sobbed as her arms tightened around Harry's body as she briefly stumbled on the stairs in her haste to reach the second floor; a trickle of blood coating her mouth from where she'd bitten her lip.

"Dada!" Harry cried again as his mother dashed into his room and slammed the door shut.

"I'm sorry, daddy can't hear you now, baby," Mum brokenly whispered as she kissed Harry's forehead; her tears soaking his hair and her bleeding mouth leaving a smear of blood on his forehead. "Mummy and daddy love you so much…"

Whatever else his mother was going to say was cut off when the door to Harry's bedroom was blown open by the scary man; who had followed them upstairs. Harry stared at the scary man that had hurt Dad and desperately clung to his mother as she stumbled backwards.

"Mercy, please, have mercy," Mum begged as she stumbled over his stuffed dog.

"Give me the boy," the scary man ordered.

"No, not Harry! Take me instead!" Mum countered as she spun around and roughly dropped Harry into his crib before she placed herself between Harry and the scary man.

"Foolish girl, stand aside!"

"No! Not Harry! Not my baby!"

"Get out of my way!" the scary man hissed as he raised his wand and cast a spell that threw his mother out of the way.

"Mama!" Harry shrieked in fright as he pulled himself up onto his chubby legs and stretched his arm out towards his fallen mother. "Mama!"

"Say goodbye, Harry Potter," the scary man stated as he pointed his wand at little Harry this time. "_Avada Kedavra._"

"No! I will not let you harm my son," Mum yelled as she scrambled up off of the floor and threw herself between Harry and the terrible green light that was rushing towards him.

"Mama!" Harry cried shrilly as he watched his mother's long red hair whip around her body as she spun about and fell down as the horrible green light washed over her.

"Foolish girl," the scary man sneered at his mother as he stepped over his mother's unmoving body before he moved deeper into the room and raised his wand at Harry once more. "It is time for you to die so that I might live to rule the world as I was born to."

Tears coursed down Harry's face as he dropped his eyes from the terrible green light rushing towards him to stare at his mother once more. His little fingers wriggled desperately as he again cried out a desperate, "Mama! Dada!"

His desperate cries called forth the spirit of his mother and her ethereal form threw itself in between him and certain death for the second time that night. A heartbeat later, little Harry's world exploded in pain as the green light knocked his mother's ghost into his body before it slammed into his blood smeared forehead. The fifteen month old screamed and cried in pain as he fell back onto his bottom while the terrifying green light was reflected back at the scary man by the remnants of his mother's magic that had clung to the blood on his face and to her ghost. An explosion rocked the room at the same time and Harry cried out a second time as a piece of flying debris cut deeply into his forehead.

He would scream a third time when a black shadow with red eyes rushed towards him. The shadow passed through Harry's body a split second later, stealing magic from his immature core, before it fled from the ruined house. In its passing, the shade left behind a small fragment of itself that burrowed deeply into the bleeding cut on Harry's forehead and latched onto his magical core in order to sustain itself. Harry had no idea what was happening though; he was too young to understand and all he wanted was for his mother and father to pick him up, hold him close, and kiss away his hurts like they used to.

"Mama," Harry called through his tears as he rolled towards the bars of his crib and stuffed his arm between two bars as he tried to touch her. The scuffing of a shoe on the floor drew Harry's attention back to the ruined door where he saw a man wearing a scary mask hovering nervously just outside of his door. The man pulled the mask from his face as he stepped into the room and walked up to the crying toddler. Harry recognized him and felt a measure of his fear recede as he reached his arms out to the man and babbled, "Wormy… Mama booboo… Dada booboo… Wormy help…"

"It would have been better if you had never been born," the man known only as Wormy to little Harry spat at the toddler as he ignored Harry's outstretched arms and lifted his wand. "If not for you, then they would not have had to die. It's your fault the Dark Lord killed them. It's your fault I had to betray them to my lord."

The man then pointed his wand at Harry and fired the same green light that the scary man had used. This time, when the light struck Harry, there was no pain as a gold light surrounded him at the last second and reflected the death curse back at its caster. Little Harry felt a rush of wind steal his breath away while his parents' voices whispered comforting words to him. The wind and his parents' voices soon vanished as the gold light flared bright white and burned hotly. The light and heat disappeared almost as quickly as they had appeared and little Harry found himself sitting in an unfamiliar place surrounded by giant trees and dark shadows.

Confused, frightened, in pain, and alone, Harry did the only thing he could; he cried.

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><p><em>October 31, 0281 AtD through December 13, 0283 AtD*<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Twenty-seven year old Orochimaru scowled as he stalked through the forest just outside of Konoha. He was frustrated over the poor results of his Kekkei Genkai experiments. It wasn't the growing number of lives that his experiments had claimed that frustrated him though; it was the complete lack of success that annoyed him. After spending the past decade researching Kekkei Genkai and human genetics, he had pieced together a method of implanting the genetic marker that would allow a person to use the Kekkei Genkai of whatever bloodline had been implanted within them.

He'd gone over his notes a hundred times and knew that the process should work but for some reason it wasn't working at all and over one hundred and thirty individuals had died as a result of each failure to date. He'd dissected each failure in the hopes of finding the key to making the new host accept the implanted genetic materials but so far he had found no clues as to why the integration was failing. The only information he had learned was that each of the one hundred and thirty-seven subjects he'd used in the experiments had died painfully as their chakra coils were shattered beyond repair after being altered to accommodate the new bloodline or when the implanted brain stem cells carrying the genetic markers were rejected by their body.

The constant failure was just so frustrating; especially when his initial experiments using lab rats and the dead bodies he'd recovered from various battlefields had shown such promise.

As he moved through the forest, Orochimaru toyed with the idea of abandoning the bloodline projects and focusing on another method of gaining the power he would need to complete his goal (which was mastering every jutsu in existence and becoming the world's most powerful shinobi); such as obtaining the eyes of an Uchiha. He was just contemplating his chances of kidnapping one of the Uchiha Clan's less impressive individuals when the forest was disturbed by a bright flash of light and a wave of intense heat. Curious, Orochimaru took to the trees and headed towards the disturbance. He paused briefly when he picked up the sound of someone crying before he began moving once more as he followed the sound until he came upon a bleeding toddler sitting in a circle of scorched trees.

The child fell silent the moment Orochimaru dropped down to the forest floor and began to approach the child so that he could get a better look at it. Based upon the color and style of the filthy clothes the child wore, Orochimaru guessed the child to be a boy. The child had wild hair that was black as sin, deep green eyes that would put emeralds to shame, skin so pale it would make a geisha jealous, and a jagged cut on his brow that still bled freely; the thin river of dark red bisecting the child's face and contrasting sharply with his pale skin. Orochimaru sneered when he drew close enough to the boy to sense the child's weak chakra network.

Orochimaru stared at the child while he weighed the benefits of alerting one of the AnBu Guards on duty to the child's presence or giving him a mercifully quick death by feeding him to one of his summonses. He had just decided to put the child out of his misery (the boy would be weak and useless due to how pathetic his chakra coils felt) when it occurred to him that such a young child might just be what he needed for his Kekkei Genkai experiments. After all, all of his other subjects had been teens and young adults that he had taken prisoner during missions (since prisoners would be less likely to be missed than villagers) and they had all died.

Maybe using a young child, whose chakra coils were still flexible, as a test subject would increase the chances of the integration of a new bloodline being a success?

"It looks like tonight is your lucky night, little boy," Orochimaru murmured as he crossed the distance separating him from the boy and scooped him up in his arms.

The child immediately whined and began squirming in an effort to escape from his hold. Orochimaru scowled in response to the toddler's antics as he reached up and firmly pressed on key pressure points in the child's neck to knock him out effortlessly and painlessly. It wouldn't do to have the child draw attention to them as Orochimaru carried him back to his lab, after all; someone might whisk test subject number one-thirty-eight away so that he could be returned to his absent family or sent to the orphanage and raised as cannon fodder for the next war.

A mere twenty-two minutes later, Orochimaru deposited the unconscious child onto an empty surgical table within his lab's infirmary and promptly stripped him out of his soiled clothes. Orochimaru took a moment to strap the child to the table to prevent him from falling off should in the event that the child woke before he finished giving the boy a medical exam. Wrapping his hands in green healing chakra, Orochimaru began his exam with the bleeding cut on the boy's forehead only to discover that the cut had healed during the time it had taken him to transport the child from the forest to his lab; leaving behind a jagged scar on the child's brow.

"What a surprising little trick you have, little boy," Orochimaru stated as a predatory smile formed on his face. "It would appear that you are far more interesting than I originally thought you to be, child."

Over the course of the next four days, Orochimaru would subject the child to a full battery of medical scans and tests in order to get a clearer picture of the boy's current health. He took note of the child's blood type (AB positive), chakra nature (wind), any antibodies present in his blood (close to a dozen; all of which were unfamiliar), the sequencing of his D.N.A., and the current state of his chakra coils (chaotic, stressed, and collapsing). Additionally, he took extensive notes on the child's innate healing ability; which curiously did not draw upon the child's chakra like most healing abilities did.

During the entire testing process, Orochimaru was forced to frequently and repeatedly sedate the child so he wouldn't have to hear him whine as he woke up far too often; something that both annoyed and fascinated him. If not for the presence of the child's internal healing ability and the potential it held, Orochimaru would have killed the little gaki in order to spare his ears from the child's incessant cries each time he woke up. The Snake Summoner may enjoy making grown men and women scream but not even he could find joy in the wailing of a child. Especially not when said wailing distracted him from his work.

Once he had run the final test and compiled all of the test results, Orochimaru began running several experiments on test subject one-thirty-eight's blood in preparation of introducing the D.N.A. from one of the many dead Kekkei Genkai users that he'd collected through the years. The experiments were needed to determine which Kekkei Genkai would be the most compatible with test subject one-thirty-eight's blood type and chakra affinity. He was also looking to learn how test subject one-thirty-eight's natural healing ability would affect the bloodline integration.

At the same time as he was running those experiments, he placed test subject one-thirty-eight on a very strict physical conditioning regime in order to improve the subject's overall health. The first problem he addressed was test subject one-thirty-eight's poor chakra network; flooding the child's weakening coils with a constant influx of chakra in order to forcefully expand and strengthen his coils. The boy was in constant agony for the duration of each session due to the subject's chakra coils being ruptured by the flood of chakra coupled with the gaki's growing resistance to the various sedatives used. If not for the boy's innate healing ability repairing the damage almost as fast as it occurred, the process would have killed him before the end of the first session.

Orochimaru was also pumping an assortment of vitamin supplements and enhancement drugs through an intravenous line in order to increase test subject one-thirty-eight's bone density, strengthen the child's core muscle groups, boost his brain activity, improve his circulatory system, and double the child's production of blood cells. The idea behind those enhancements was to prevent the boy's body from breaking beneath the physical stress that the integration procedures would place on the child's body. In conjunction with the enhancements, the dark haired shinobi had his most trusted underlings diligently stretch and exercise the child's core muscles to increase his flexibility and mobility.

It would take the snake summoner a full year to get test subject one-thirty-eight's body into what he considered optimum condition. Over the course of those twelve months, Orochimaru had also handled the other preparations necessary for the series of invasive procedures that would give test subject one-thirty-eight a Kekkei Genkai. Those preparations included; drawing and storing a significant amount of the child blood (to be used for transfusions during surgery and for additional tests or experiments), cultivating a supply of the selected donor's blood (also for transfusions), and preparing the various tissues and cells that would be transplanted.

During that time, he also had his underlings start collecting additional orphans to use in the experiments. His orders had been for them to take only those orphans that would not be missed; those that came from families outside of Hi no Kuni or those that were from civilian backgrounds with no records of the family carrying a Kekkei Genkai. Those children would then be put through extensive medical evaluations before they were put through the same conditioning regime that the first boy had undergone in order to improve their overall physical health and chakra networks.

At the end of the year, Orochimaru eagerly initiated the implantation process on test subject one-thirty-eight. The Kekkei Genkai that Orochimaru selected to use for the procedure was the Hyouton due to the child's inborn affinity towards wind (one of the two natures that made up the Hyouton). He would have preferred to integrate the Mokuton into the child but forcefully adding two additional chakra natures on top of a subject's inborn nature had proven fatal in earlier test subjects long before he reached the point where he'd started using living humans in his experiments.

The first procedure took twelve hours to perform and involved giving the child several bone marrow transplants from the deceased donor (an adult male from the Yuki Clan in Mizu no Kuni) and a blood transfusion (containing both the child's blood and the donor's blood). The process involved injecting each of the boy's individual bones with the cells of the donor (the larger the bone, the higher the number of injections required). Orochimaru would then monitor test subject one-thirty-eight for a full week after the implantation to insure that the transplanted cells were not being rejected by the child's body; taking numerous blood and tissue samples twice daily in addition to x-raying the child's full body each evening.

At the end of the week, it was readily apparent to Orochimaru that the implantation had been a success; mostly due to the child's healing ability speeding up the integration of the newly implanted cells (a process that usually took months). Now that the child's body was producing blood cells that contained both the child's original D.N.A. and the donor's D.N.A., the Sannin began the next procedure; grafting sections of the donor's chakra pathways into test subject one-thirty-eight's chakra pathways. The process would take over seventeen hours as Orochimaru meticulously inserted uniform threads of tissue taken from the donor's chakra pathways into the pathways of test subject one-thirty-eight.

A second blood transfusion would be given at the end of the surgery; this time containing a combination of test subject one-thirty-eight's original blood, blood from the deceased donor, and a small amount of the blood the child's body began producing after the first procedure. Another seven days would then be spent monitoring test subject one-thirty-eight for any signs of degradation throughout his chakra network and recording any fluctuations in test subject one-thirty-eight's chakra production. After that second week of observation, Orochimaru was extremely pleased with the progress of the integration.

He would start the third procedure on the November sixteenth of two hundred eighty-two; grafting roughly one-fifteenth of the donor's chakra coils onto the subject's chakra coils. The five hour procedure was meant to increase the size of test subject one-thirty-eight's chakra reserves and introduce the Hyouton user's water affinity to the boy's system. The procedure was also the most critical stage of the Kekkei Genkai integration and the point at which eighty-seven percent of the previous attempts at integrating a Kekkei Genkai into a living subject had failed; the remaining thirteen percent had failed immediately after the fourth stage of the integration.

Once he'd finished performing the third surgery, Orochimaru would spend the rest of November closely monitoring test subject one-thirty-eight. Hundreds of tests were performed on the boy during that time and the results carefully recorded so that he could compare them to the results from earlier test subjects. The moment that he was certain that the third procedure had been one hundred percent successful, Orochimaru would spend another month reconditioning the child's body in order to bring his health back to where it had been prior to the procedures.

On January first of two hundred eighty-three, Orochimaru initiated the fourth procedure of the Kekkei Genkai integration on test subject thirty-eight; transplanting brain stem cells from the donor into the test subject to give the boy the capacity to use the implanted Kekkei Genkai on an instinctive level. Once the procedure was complete, Orochimaru selected thirty-four of the sixty-eight orphans that his subordinates had kidnapped on his orders and sent them through the first three procedures with the help of a handful of his trusted underlings during the twenty-one days that he spent monitoring test subject thirty-eight's response to the brain stem implantation.

At the end of the three week period, Orochimaru was pleased with the results of test subject one-thirty-eight's most recent procedure. On the other hand, he was greatly frustrated by the deaths of test subjects one-thirty-nine through one-seventy-two; not a single one of those thirty-four children had survived the third procedure. The snake summoner would spend the remainder of January away from the village and his lab, leaving the care of the remaining orphans and test subject one-thirty-eight to his underlings.

When he returned to Konoha on the thirty-first, Orochimaru was no longer quite so frustrated with his failures and instead focused on the child that was promising to be his first success. After spending time away from his lab, the man had come to the conclusion that test subject one-thirty-eight's inborn healing ability was the key factor in why the child had survived where all others had died. With that knowledge, Orochimaru decided to integrate the boy's healing ability into the remaining orphans using the blood and tissue samples that he'd taken from test subject one-thirty-eight prior to initiating the first procedure on the child.

That process would take the better part of six months and only fifteen of the thirty-four orphans being used in the experiment would survive the implantation of test subject one-thirty-eight's cells. Out of those fifteen survivors, seven of them would gain a weaker internal healing ability while the other eight only received a slight boost to their immune systems. All fifteen of the survivors would then be prepared for the first three procedures of the Kekkei Genkai integration project.

During that time, test subject one-thirty-eight was receiving another around of chakra therapy sessions; this time his chakra network was constantly flooded by the water natured chakra of two of Orochimaru's subordinates to shock the child's system into producing water natured chakra in addition to his inborn wind natured chakra. He was also being subjected to a ruthless physical therapy regime to prepare his body for the final procedure which would activate the newly implanted Kekkei Genkai. The newly implanted Hyouton would then be activated on July thirty-first of two hundred eighty-three.

Immediately upon activation, test subject one-thirty-eight was encased completely in ice and Orochimaru had at first believed the experiment had failed yet again and that test subject one-thirty-eight was dead. He left one of the medics that worked for him to monitor the remains and inform him the moment the ice melted so that he could perform the autopsy to determine just what had gone wrong. Exactly one hour after the activation of the implanted Kekkei Genkai, the medic he had left watching over the dead child informed him that the ice formation containing the child had melted and that the child yet lived.

Orochimaru was shocked to learn that the boy very much alive and relatively unharmed after spending an hour frozen solid. After arriving in the lab, he had stared at the child in disbelief for a full minute before he shook off his stupor and hurried forward to scan the child for injuries and potential medical complications that might have resulted from the turbulent activation of the Hyouton.

The day immediately after the successful activation of number one-thirty-eight's implanted Hyouton, Orochimaru would start the first implantation procedure on the fifteen surviving orphans using cell cultures from the Shodai Hokage for his Mokuton. On a whim, Orochimaru would include test subject one-thirty-eight; the nearly twenty-nine year old Jounin was curious to know if it was possible to integrate a second Kekkei Genkai and drunk on his first success after years of constant failure.

There was also no denying that the mere possibility that he could create and control the only person capable of using every known Kekkei Genkai in the world appealed to that part of him that craved power. And if he should finish and perfect the jutsu that would allow him to transfer his soul into a new body as a method of granting himself a form of immortality, having such a powerful individual from whom he could breed an unending supply of powerful replacement bodies would be invaluable.

He would lose nine of the children after the third procedure; leaving only test subject one-thirty-eight and six of the stolen orphans that had gained a weaker version of one-thirty-eight's innate healing ability. The next two weeks would be spent observing and testing all seven children. Once it was clear that the latest integrations had taken, Orochimaru spent another four weeks restoring their physical condition back to optimum health to increase the chances that the fourth and final integration would be successful.

After the fourth implantation failed in five of the seven children, Orochimaru put off integrating the brain stem cells of the Shodai in test subjects one-thirty-eight and one-eighty-one (the last remaining orphan with the integrated healing ability) for another four weeks in order to study the remains of the failed test subjects. At the same time, he sent both remaining children through another series of tests and administered two extra blood transfusions (containing the Shodai's blood and subject one-thirty-eight's original blood) to increase the percentage of the Shodai's and subject one-thirty-eight's D.N.A. circulating through both boys.

It was just one day shy of the two year anniversary of the day Orochimaru found the emerald-eyed boy in the forest when the Snake Summoner ordered both boys to be prepared for their final surgery. Orochimaru would personally perform the stem cell transplant in test subject one-thirty-eight (due to it being the boy's second implantation) while two of the more competent medics on his staff performed test subject one-eighty-one's implantation at the same time. Both surgeries were completed within minutes of each other. Over the course of the next seven days, both children would be monitored around the clock for any signs that the procedure had failed once again.

Elation filled Orochimaru once it became apparent that both implants had been successful and he didn't hesitate to collect all of his research notes in order to compile a proper journal on the method he'd used so that his work could be well documented for future projects. He even began making plans to start gathering new test subjects so he could start another round of experiments as soon as he could comb through all of data he'd collected from the failed experiments and compared it to the two successful experiments in order to determine why those two children had survived when the rest of the children had not.

At the same time, he had both boys subjected to chakra therapy sessions to expose them to the newest chakra nature that had been integrated into their bodies; earth for number one-thirty-eight and water for number one-eighty-one. He would leave his underlings to monitor the progress of the two children while he reveled in the feeling of accomplishment he felt over the three successes (the Jounin counting the dual implants in subject one-thirty-eight as separate instances) and turned his attention to a couple of his other projects.

After a mere five weeks of chakra therapy, Orochimaru made a critical error when he allowed his irritation over Sarutobi's politely worded refusal to name him as his successor (his sensei claiming it would be unwise to change the village's leadership while Konoha's relationship with Iwa was so rocky) cloud his mind. Frustrated over the apparent snubbing and rather impatient to see the positive culmination of a decade's worth of work on his Kekkei Genkai project, Orochimaru moved the activation of test subject one-thirty-eight's second Kekkei Genkai up by six and a half months.

The first indication that something had gone terribly wrong came when the boy began whimpering and thrashing about wildly in pain beneath the straps that held him to the table; something that had not happened during the activation of the child's Hyouton. Orochimaru had only a split second's warning in the form of a sharp spike of chakra from subject one-thirty-eight just before hundreds of ice spikes snapped into being around the boy as he began screaming; the man barely dodging back in time to avoid being skewered. The child's scream soon rose in pitch as the icy spikes grew leaves that immediately froze solid before crumbling into dust.

Orochimaru retreated from the room at that point in order to save himself as more leaf bedecked spikes of ice began forming in an ever widening ring around the child. Another spike of chakra heralded the end of Orochimaru's shinobi career in Konoha as a large tree woven through with veins of ice burst forth from the center of the leaf riddled spires of ice surrounding the child and shot straight through the roof of Orochimaru's underground lab. Knowing there was no way that the village's AnBu on duty wouldn't notice the strange tree growing inside of the village and that there was no time for him to destroy all of the evidence of what he'd been doing, Orochimaru hurried away from the lab rooms to gather his most prized possessions and as many of his notes as he could.

Behind him, test subject one-thirty-eight's scream abruptly cut off as the child's undiscovered magic clashed violently with his chakra on the heels of the conflict between the three chakra natures and the two Kekkei Genkai that now resided within the child's body. A violent conflict that had been triggered the moment Orochimaru forced the activation of the child's implanted Mokuton. At the same time, the boy's forehead split open to pour forth blood and thick black tar when the hidden soul fragment that had lodged itself inside of the child two years earlier died due to that same conflict.

* * *

><p><em>December 13, 1983, 7:14 PM<br>Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts Castle_

Albus Dumbledore was sitting at his desk reviewing the student progress reports for the fall term when the small device that was monitoring the life force and magic of the missing Harry Potter began whistling shrilly. Albus smacked his knee on his desk when he jerked his head up and half turned to stare at the device in horror. The second his eyes fell on the device, the whistling sound was cut off as the silver instrument was suddenly engulfed in ice crystals. Albus was just rising out of his seat when the ice shattered as a small, grotesque tree took root in the center of the instrument and destroyed it completely.

The elderly wizard fell back into his chair in shock even as tears of sorrow and despair filled his eyes; the destruction of the device monitoring Harry Potter could only mean one thing – Harry Potter was dead. His thoughts were soon filled with the memories of the night that the young Potter heir had been orphaned.

_He had barely finished preparing for bed after spending four hours going through the paper that had piled up on his desk when four of the devices monitoring the life forces of the members of the Order of the Phoenix had sounded an alert. The aged wizard had rushed back towards his office the moment the first device had let out the loud tolling of a church bell that indicated someone had just died and reached the room at the same time as the second device activated. It had taken him less than a minute to locate the two devices in question and he'd let out a curse the instant he discovered that it had been James and Lily Potter that had just been killed. _

_He'd barely drawn his wand in order to alert the rest of the Order when the device monitoring the Potter's young son let out a wailing siren; indicating that the young boy had just been injured. He had immediately lamented over the fact that his phoenix companion had just gone through a burning day and was therefore unable to fetch the child for Albus and bring him to safety. Shaking off the useless emotion, Albus quickly cast the communication variation of the Patronus Charm to alert the Order. His phoenix patronus had barely left his wand before the last device had begun tolling out the death of Peter Pettigrew; a close friend of the Potters. Albus's gaze flicked towards the silent devices monitoring the life forces of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black before he sagged in relief when he noted they were both silent. _

_A mere twenty minutes after the first device had alerted Albus to the attack, the Potters' home was swarming with people searching for the small family of three. Tears of grief and anger would be shed over the bodies of James and Lily Potter when they were recovered from the wreckage. The discovery of Peter Pettigrew's dead body in full Death Eater regalia at the scene of the attack (in what had formerly been little Harry's nursery) raised hundreds of questions. Sirius Black had needed to do some fast talking to avoid being accused of being Pettigrew's accomplice and the reason that The Dark Lord had found the Potters as Black was supposed to have been the Secret Keeper. _

_Evidence that Voldemort had been defeated (in the form of the Dark Lord's ruined robes and slightly charred wand) would see the wizarding world rejoicing and hailing the missing Potter child as their hero. Unfortunately, there was no sign of little Harry to be found and many believed he had died that night. Albus Dumbledore knew the child yet lived the same way he'd known that James, Lily, and Peter had been killed that night; through the monitoring charms he'd created for every single member of the Order of the Phoenix. _

_A nation wide search would be initiated by Albus and the surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix. Sadly, no trace of the child had been found over the next two years and the device monitoring the child's life force had often sounded a warning alarm to indicate that the boy had been seriously injured time and time again. Not even Fawkes had been able to locate the missing child. There had been many days when Albus wished he'd thought to tie a tracking charm onto the monitoring devices so that he could have used it to hunt down the missing child but it had been difficult enough just to link the monitoring charms to the devices. _

As his thoughts returned to the present once more, Albus bowed his head as the knowledge that the loss of the Potter's son would be a huge blow to the still recovering wizarding society filled him. He then winced as he imagined how Sirius and Remus would take the news that their missing godson (honorary in Lupin's case) had perished. Worry flittered through the venerable wizard just split seconds later as he began to wonder exactly how the child had died and who was responsible for the terrible deed; his eyes flickering to the rotting mess that had been made of the child's monitoring device.

Grim determination filled him a heartbeat later as he got up to vanish the remains of Harry Potter's monitor. He then transfigured an exact replica out of a piece of parchment and enchanted it to function the same way that the original monitoring device had. Once that was finished, he set about making plans to find a child to replace the lost hero in order to protect the world he loved. No one would ever know that Harry Potter had died; not if he could help it.

Albus shoved aside the guilt and grief that filled him the moment he reached that decision; he couldn't afford to have a conscience when the fate of the world rested so heavily on his shoulders.

* * *

><p>At the exact same moment that Harry Potter's life force monitor was destroyed, deep within a foreboding forest in the wilds of Albania, the sleeping shade of Lord Voldemort and the rat he was currently possessing woke up in excruciating agony. The shade and its host soon let out a piercing scream that frightened a nearby group of muggle teenagers that had been camping in the forest and further fueled the rumors that the forest was haunted. Just seconds after giving voice to his agony, Voldemort's shade and the rat it had been hitching a ride on froze solid before a small tree growing out of the rat's heart killed them both through the link that had bound the shade to the soul fragment that had attached itself to Harry Potter.<p>

The phenomenon would be repeated on an old diary stored in a hidden room within Malfoy manner, on a golden cup locked up in a vault deep beneath London, on a silver and emerald locket stashed in a curio cabinet in a gloomy old house, on a gold ring holding a mythical stone secreted beneath the floorboard of a rotting shack, and on a tarnished diadem stashed within a hidden magical room filled with thousands of lost and forgotten junk.

All five objects destroyed beyond repair and the magic that they had once held forever lost.

Harry Potter had unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy that had tied him to Lord Voldemort without lifting a finger; a fact that no one would ever discover.

At the same time, the thin Thread of Fate that had tied the last Potter to the world he'd been born into shattered beyond repair and the young wizard's future was set adrift outside of Fate's Pattern and therefore outside of Fate's Control.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Gaki – brat  
>Hi no Kuni – Fire Country<br>Hyouton – Ice Release  
>Iwagakure (Iwa) no Sato – Hidden Rock Village<br>Kekkei Genkai – bloodline limit  
>Konohagakure (Konoha) no Sato – Hidden Leaf Village<br>Mokuton – Wood Release

**Notes: **

Okay, just a few notes here.

First up, I am not a medical professional and my portrayal of the process that Orochimaru used to transplant the Kekkei Genkai into Harry and the other unnamed boy who survived (and I'm sure most of you who are familiar with the Naruto verse already know the identity of that other boy) is entirely made up based upon what I imagined one might need to genetically enhance a body to give them a Kekkei Genkai. I researched as much as I could to make my plot sound realistic enough to pass muster (in my own head at least) but I'm sure there will be some readers that are dissatisfied. For that I apologize but I'm not going to go back and change anything because I already put a lot of work into this story.

Next; an explanation about what exactly happened to Harry at the end of the chapter and what it will mean for him will be given in bits and pieces throughout the story. Also, I feel that I should point out that the HP universe won't play much of a role in the rest of the story from this point forward, though there may be an occasional reference to what is happening in that world. So no, Harry will not be going to Hogwarts and none of the other HP characters will find him in Konoha. I already wrote a story using that kind of plot line and I wanted something slightly different for this one.

That brings us to the Horcruxes & Voldemort's shade. In this story, I used the concept that Voldemort's Horcruxes are anchors made from small pieces of his soul that tie him onto the mortal plane; meaning that he has to be connected to each and every one of them for the anchors to have held him in the land of the living. That also means that he was connected to Harry through the accidental horcrux and the moment Harry's magic spiraled out of control against his chakra, the backlash that created the ice riddled tree would have affected Voldemort and through Voldemort, the rest of his Horcruxes. The same would apply to Dumbledore's monitor device – since the device was linked to Harry's life force (his chakra) and his magic.

Lastly, I just wanted to remind all of my readers that I will be playing fast and loose with canon (for both verses, though we won't see much of the wizarding world now that the prophecy has been fulfilled) because Harry's presence in the Elemental Nations is going to cause ripples of change. He isn't going to go out of his way to fix everything that is wrong or save every single life but his actions, thoughts, and words will have an impact on those around him. There will also be quite a few OOC moments for all of the characters because of the effect that Harry has on them and they on him. If that bothers you, then you might want to avoid reading any further.

* AtD – Stands for After the Divide and it refers to the moment when the Rikudou Sennin split the Juubi into the nine Bijuu just before he died. To me, it was a more logical starting point for the time line than the founding of Konoha since I can't see the other villages wanting to constantly recall the fact that Konoha had been the first hidden village (at least I think it was the first village – I could be wrong on that). All of the hidden villages have their pride, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> _I can hear the groans now about me putting up yet another new story but seven is such an uneven number (despite how lucky it is) and I figured I'd round up my active stories by one to make it more even. It also allows me to clear out some of the new two hundred chapters I have prepped for posting. Yep, you read that right; I have over two hundred chapters ready for posting. Most of them are for the eight newest stories I have posted; each one having at least thirty chapters in the queue. _

_I'm sure some readers are also wondering about what's going on with Banished Destiny and Wizard's World Year 2 and the answers is that I am still trying to revive the muses for those two stories so I can get them finished. And as frustrating as it is for my readers to wait to see it what happens next, it is ten times more frustrating for me as a writer to be stuck on the same chapters for months (or years) at a time. I am literally only able to hash out a sentence at a time on those stories when I can sit and write 10,000 words in a day on some of my other WIPs. _

_I hope that by getting some of my newer stuff posted, that I can clear my mind and get back into the groove (yes I know that sounds cheesy but what do you expect from someone who was born in the early seventies and grew up in the eighties?). Anywho, I am working on a ton of stories (more like an even dozen), writing a little bit here and a little bit there as inspiration strikes will keep posting until I run out of stuff to post; which hopefully won't happen for a while. _

_At least this way you know I'm still alive and still writing... even if I'm not exactly writing what people wished I would._

_Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story and will post the next chapter in roughly four days since I intend to keep to my two chapters a day posting policy and with this story now being added, I will be updating one Naruto crossover per day alongside one of the other four fics I have up. You can also expect an occasional one-shot to be thrown out as the Challenge King has been slipping new plot bunnies into the hutch for me to experiment on but as weak as I am when it comes to getting caught up in a new idea, I'm doing my best not to start any new epic length stories until I've finished some of my current ones. ~ Jenn  
><em>

**10-22-14:** _Edited out a small grammatical mistake._


	2. The Discovery

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Two: The Discovery<span>

_December 13, 0283 AtD, 6:51 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Forty-seven year old Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, jerked his head around towards the northern window of his office when he felt a large (if weak) wave of chaotic chakra wash over him. He scrambled to his feet in shock two seconds later as his eyes landed upon the twisted tree that was rapidly rising above the small forest in the general vicinity of the empty Hattori Clan Estate. A shinobi in a black uniform with pale grey armor over top and a beaked porcelain mask painted with stylized purples feathers on the outer edges appeared at the Hokage's side just seconds later.

"Report," Hiruzen demanded crisply without bothering to look towards the masked man.

"Our squad was patrolling the wall above the northern gate when we sensed a small spike of chakra from the outskirts of the abandoned Hattori Estate. A second, larger chakra spike was felt mere seconds before the strange tree burst forth from the ground accompanied by a shockwave of corrupted chakra. Upon investigating the base of the unnatural tree, we discovered an underground base before the growing tree blocked our view. The tree itself is riddled with veins of ice, unnaturally twisted, and carries the same underlying chakra signature as the shockwave."

"Gather another four squads and a team of medics and have them meet me at the base of the tree," Hiruzen ordered as he striped out of his Hokage robes to reveal that he was wearing a set of battle armor underneath the shapeless robes that denoted his position as the village leader. He then dug his helmet out of his desk as he dropped the robes on the chair he'd been sitting in just a minute earlier before he left his office.

Fifteen minutes later, Hiruzen dropped down from the rooftops to land beside the now unmoving trunk of the unnatural tree alongside twenty-four masked AnBu Guards. A tall man with spiky white hair and red 'tear tracks' running from his eyes, joined him beside the tree just a couple of minutes later.

"It looks like a bastardized version of the Mokuton, sensei," the white haired man commented as he crossed his arms and shifted slightly to his left as his right foot scratched at his left calf. "Any idea who could be responsible for growing such an abomination?"

"No, but that is why we are here, Jiraiya," Hiruzen grimly replied as he nicked his thumb on his eye tooth and ran through the series of hand seals needed to summon Enma; the king of the Monkey Clan and his personal summons.

A man-sized monkey with white hair and beard wearing armor that was near identical to the armor that Hiruzen was wearing appeared in a puff of smoke and glanced at Hiruzen for a brief moment. The Monkey King then turned his attention to the unnatural tree that had appeared without warning. King Enma grunted out a curse under his breath before he growled, "That tree is fueled by the pain, blood, and chakra of a child whose chakra coils have become twisted with corruption. Who did this, Sarutobi?"

"That is what we're here to find out, old friend," Hiruzen replied as he formed the seals for a doton jutsu to split the ground open at the base of the ice riddled tree.

As the ground yawned open to reveal the hidden underground facility that the bird masked AnBu had spoken of, Hiruzen signaled for four of the five squads that had gathered at his request to enter the base and start searching for the person or persons responsible for the unnatural tree. Hiruzen would follow alongside of King Enma and Jiraiya next; leaving the original AnBu Squad that had been on patrol and the team of AnBu Medics that had answered his summons to stand guard over the area. A brief sweep of the tree-filled room revealed it to be empty of life aside from the twisted tree and Hiruzen quickly moved towards the only door leading out of the room.

Once outside of the room, Hiruzen and King Enma split away from Jiraiya to cover more ground as they headed deeper into the underground facility. The more Hiruzen saw as he moved through the hidden base, the more disgusted he grew as it became apparent that someone had been experimenting on humans. Experimenting on _children_. He almost could not believe the depth of depravity that had been hidden beneath his beloved village for who knew how long and his anger burned brightly as he continued to search for the perpetrator. When he finally did find the one responsible, Hiruzen froze in shock and disbelief as he gazed upon his favorite student; Orochimaru.

The Sandaime was so shocked that after a short exchange of words between him and his student, Hiruzen allowed Orochimaru to walk away instead of capturing or killing the man; as he'd originally intended to do to the one responsible for the wanton deaths and immoral experiments he'd stumbled upon while traveling through the underground labs. The problem was that Hiruzen had long considered Orochimaru as one of his sons and learning that the young man he saw as family and a potential successor could become so twisted without him even suspecting was a harsh blow to the venerable shinobi.

Hiruzen remained frozen in his place until one of the AnBu guards that had been stationed outside of the facility hurried to his side with urgent news; two survivors had been found amidst the wreckage of the labs. Snapping out of his shock, Hiruzen quickly dismissed King Enma before he followed the boar masked shinobi back the way he'd come until they reached the surface where two AnBu Medics were tending to a pair of children that couldn't have been a day older than three or maybe four. The forty-seven year old briefly eyed the now half-melted tree before he dropped his gaze to the two children that had been pulled from the labs.

"Where were they found?" Hiruzen inquired, his voice shaking with both anger and shame as his eyes continued to bounce between the two children; his heart aching for the two small children that had undoubtedly been sorely abused while in Orochimaru's clutches.

"The first boy was found three rooms down from the tree room; he was hooked up to a number of hospital machines that were monitoring his vital signs and brain activity," the boar masked AnBu answered from beside the Hokage. "A search of the room turned up medical records for the boy dating from June eighth of two hundred-eighty-two. The child's records indicate that he was part of two experiments; the first one involving the internal healing ability of an individual identified only as test subject one-thirty-eight and the second one dealing with the Shodai Hokage's Kekkei Genkai."

"What is that child's status?"

"Mostly stable and merely sleeping with the help of a sedative, Hokage-sama," the medic working on that boy replied without looking up from his patient.

"And the other child? Where was he found? Did his medical records indicate that he had been part of the same two experiments?"

"We found no records of the second child," the boar masked shinobi replied after a brief hesitation.

"And where was he found?"

"Inside of the tree, Hokage-sama," the female medic tending to said boy stated as she briefly glanced up from the black haired child. "About the same time the first boy was found and brought to the surface, we noticed that the veins of ice on the strange tree were melting. It was the sound of the boy's weak sobs that led us to him; he was trapped under a twisted surgical table at the heart of the tree. He was also covered with blood and an unfamiliar substance that looked and behaved like tar; only it smelled of death and decay."

"What is the child's status?"

"Critical; he is suffering from severe chakra exhaustion, has extremely high levels of at least three unknown drugs in his bloodstream, his entire chakra network has suffered numerous ruptures, his chakra has become corrupted, and his heart is in cardiac arrhythmia."

"Was there any indication that the child could have been responsible for the appearance of the tree or was he merely trapped inside of it?"

"The boy's corrupted chakra signature is identical to that which was felt from the tree as it was growing," the bird masked AnBu that had reported to the Hokage earlier stated from where he was standing guard by the now dying tree that had grown out of the ground roughly eighty-five minutes earlier.

"Transfer both boys to the AnBu Infirmary the moment they are stable enough to move and place a twenty-four hour guard on their room; visitors are restricted to their assigned guards and the medical staff until I say otherwise. In the mean time, get a squad back down in that room and have them comb every square inch of it for any information on what was done to the second child. Samples of the tree will also need to be taken so that it can be studied for clues."

"Wakatta, Hokage-sama," all five AnBu members gathered beside the tree stated in unison before the boar masked individual disappeared back through the hole beside the half dead tree while the two medics prepared their patients for transport.

Hiruzen remained until the two children were moved per his orders. While he was waiting, Jiraiya returned to his side to inform him that the base had been secured and that four prisoners had been taken into custody before he asked if the person responsible had been identified. Hiruzen acknowledged the information he'd been given before he'd reluctantly informed his student that it had been his teammate. Jiraiya spluttered out a few half-hearted denials that Orochimaru could have had any part in the atrocities that had been committed inside of the hidden lab before he cursed and took off; the younger man obviously determined to hunt down his teammate to get answers.

Hiruzen let him go as he kept his eyes on the two children until they were carried away.

He then slowly made his way back to his office as he tried to come to terms with what he'd learned that evening. When he finally reentered his office, the first thing he did was write out an order for Tsunade (his third student) to report to the AnBu Infirmary to treat the two children that had been found amongst the wreckage of the underground base. He then wrote out the painful order that would label Orochimaru, his prized student and unofficial third son, as a traitor. The old shinobi ignored the icy cold tears that slipped down his cheeks as he signed the order and stamped it with the official Hokage's seal.

Both scrolls were then handed to an AnBu Guard to deliver to their intended recipients and Hiruzen wearily rested his elbows on his desk and buried his fingers in his hair as he struggled to understand just where and when things had gone so wrong. At the same time, memories of the years he'd spent training Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade played through his mind; taunting him with happier times. Interspersed with those once fond memories were the images of the two near broken children that had been found inside of the underground laboratory.

* * *

><p><em>December 16, 0283 AtD, 8:39 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

The child once known as Harry Potter had known nothing but pain, fear, and darkness since the day he'd been found in the forest by the cruel man right after his tiny world had been destroyed by the scary man and a man whose name he no longer remembered. He had cried, screamed, and begged for the pain to stop with each breath he'd taken every time he'd opened his eyes until he realized that there would never be an end to the pain. He'd fallen silent shortly after that terrible revelation and his memories of his first life with his parents faded and disappeared until they were forever lost to him bar a few tiny tendrils that were more impressions than memories.

The memories of his new life would eventually blur together into a seemingly endless cycle of pain, darkness, grabbing hands, and the annoying sound of beeping coming from the unfamiliar machines that surrounded him. Part of that was due to the three and a half year old unconsciously repressing his memories to protect his mind from the torment of the various procedures that he was put through. The rest of it was simply due to his mind being far too young to fully understand exactly what it was that was being done to him by the men and women that were constantly swarming around him.

The only exception was a crystal clear image of Orochimaru smirking or occasionally scowling down at him each time the pain blossomed once more. Orochimaru's face twisted into a cruel smirk or in an irritated scowl would fuel the boy's darkest nightmares for many years. That image would also one day be the driving force behind his greatest dream; to become strong enough to protect his loved ones and to get revenge upon the one that had hurt him. The faces of the other people that had helped Orochimaru would be forgotten because they hadn't been the ones smiling or scowling down at him in his memories of the pain he'd felt each time he woke from the darkness.

Over time, the pain he felt slowly became muted as the child's forgotten magic slowly deadened his pain receptors in order to help him survive the ordeal. By the end of his second year as Orochimaru's prisoner, his level of pain tolerance had risen to the point that he could no longer feel the bite of the needles that drew his blood or administered drugs, medicine, and daily supplements. The only true pain that he still felt was the burning pain he had learned to associate with having another's foreign chakra forced into his body. It was a burning pain that he felt as a relentless bone deep ache that was far easier to ignore than the crippling pain that he had felt during the chakra therapy sessions throughout his first year as part of Orochimaru's experiments.

It was therefore something of a traumatic shock to the nameless child when he felt a lance of sheer agony shoot through him as the cruel man scowled down at him for what would be the last time for many years to come. The boy that had come to be known as test subject one-thirty-eight soon felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out as his chakra attacked itself immediately after Orochimaru had given him a shot of the heated liquid he vaguely remembered from when the man had turned his chakra into ice several months earlier. The moment that his long forgotten magic entered the battle, the pain had gone from agonizing to crippling.

The pain had grown to the point where the child couldn't breathe. Seeking an escape, the child pushed all of his chakra (and his magic) out of his body in a desperate attempt to stop the pain and almost immediately he felt the world around him grow cold. There was another spike of pain centered over his heart just before the iciness intensified as the dry earth chakra that had been introduced to his body asserted itself over the wet water chakra while the chilly wind chakra that he'd been born with struggled to wrest control of the water chakra from the earth chakra and his magic attacked all three. Shortly after that, he felt his forehead burst open at the same time as it felt like his insides were melting.

The battle raged for a seeming eternity before the two separate energies merged into a single energy just seconds before he would have died; his sentient magic realizing the danger at the last second and acting upon its need to survive at all costs. The new energy that had been formed was neither chakra nor magic and at the same time it contained properties of both chakra and magic, carried traces of the magical abilities that he'd been born with, and had retained the elemental properties of wind, water, and earth. At the same time, the child's new merged chakra and magic would be viewed as corrupted chakra by those who were sensitive to the changes his magic had wrought on his chakra when they merged.

Once the merging was complete, the pain that the young boy had been feeling abruptly lessened. The small child sobbed in pure relief while his body throbbed in remembered pain as exhaustion slowly pulled him back down into the darkness that had been his only source of comfort during his time with the cruel man.

The next time the child woke, he found himself staring up at a white ceiling instead of the reddish brown ceiling that had greeted him every time he'd opened his eyes since the day he'd been found by the cruel man. He stared up at the bright ceiling and blinked repeatedly as he tried to figure out if the new ceiling was real or if it was just his imagination. When the ceiling didn't change or disappear after several minutes, the boy turned his head towards the door that faceless men and women always entered and exited through when they came to torment the child only to find another bed with another small person on it instead of the expected wall and door.

It was also at that point that the child realized he could no longer hear the noisy machines. Shortly after that revelation, he discovered that the straps that had bound him to the lab table for as long as he could remember (bar those times when his body had been stretched and pulled by the grabbing hands of the faceless adults) were also gone. That discovery soon consumed his entire attention as he raised his left arm so that he could stare at his hand. His right arm soon followed and he marveled over the feeling of actually moving his small limbs by himself as he started at both hands in complete and utter fascination; much like a newborn infant just discovering its hands.

Subject one-thirty-eight had no idea how long he'd been enthralled by the sight of his hands moving under his own power when his attention was drawn away from the rediscovered appendages by the sound of a door opening. Rolling his face towards the sound, the child's deep emerald eyes soon landed on a pretty woman with long blonde hair tied back in two ponytails, rich honey colored eyes, and lightly tanned skin. The woman briefly paused in mid-step when her eyes collided with his before she began walking once more and the boy's breath caught in his throat as she reached his bed.

Memories of the endless pain that had been inflicted upon him by all of the adults that he'd encountered since his capture had the child flinching sharply and tightly shutting his eyes the moment he saw her reaching her hands towards him. His muscles tensed at the same time and he weakly knotted his hands in the soft blanket he hadn't even realized was draped over his small body as he braced himself for the inevitable pain. His eyes soon flew open in confusion once more when instead of the expected pain he only felt a warm hand press down on his forehead just seconds before he felt the gentle warmth of healing chakra wash through him to sooth the lingering ache that he had been ignoring since he'd woken up.

"Are you in pain, child?" the woman questioned the moment she noticed that his eyes were open again. Number one-thirty-eight shook his head twice as best he could with the woman's hand pressed against his forehead like it was. "I suppose that is something. Will you tell me your name?"

The child had no idea how to answer that question since, as far as he knew, he never had a name. Orochimaru and the other adults had never called him anything but test subject one-thirty-eight, after all. So the child remained still and silent as he continued to stare up at the woman's face.

After a long stretch of silence, the woman let out a soft explosion of air and pursed her lips before she muttered, "I'll take that as a no. Do you even know what your name is, child?"

The new question was far easier to answer since he believed that he didn't have a name and so subject one-thirty-eight simply gave another two shakes of his head. The woman's eyes closed briefly as the soothing flow of healing chakra faltered for a moment before stabilizing once more. When she reopened her eyes, she looked tired as she asked, "Do you know how old you are?" His answer was another negative shake of his head which drew another explosive sigh from the woman as she moved her chakra coated hand from the child's head to his chest before she demanded, "Do you even know how to talk…?"

The boy tipped his head slightly to the left as he considered the question. It had been a long time since anyone had been interested in hearing his voice and even longer since he'd voiced any sound but whimpers, whines, and screams. He knew he could talk; he just didn't want to talk. So he nodded twice to answer the question instead of giving her a verbal reply.

"Right," the woman grumbled before she sarcastically asked, "Let me rephrase the question; are you ever going to talk or are you just going to nod and shake your head in response to my questions?" The child just shrugged his shoulders in response before he cringed when the woman glowered at him; he'd learned very quickly that angry adults equaled more pain. "Are you trying to be difficult?" Subject one-thirty-eight quickly gave two negative shakes of his head even as he tried to shrink away from the woman. "You're a right stubborn gaki, I'll give you that. Are you hungry?"

The boy just stared at the woman without answering that question. He'd been hungry for so long that he no longer felt the hunger that had once clawed at his belly. Since the day he'd been found by Orochimaru, he'd been fed intravenously with a special mixture of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals; not a single morsel of food or sip of water passing through his lips.

"Tch, you're as annoying as you are stubborn; though I don't know why I'm surprised. I'll have the nurse bring you up something light after I leave. I don't suppose there is anything you'd like to ask me?"

The small boy hesitated; there were hundreds of questions he longed to ask, things he desperately wished to know. At the same time, he was frightened of what he might learn if he actually asked those questions. Being confronted by the unfamiliar woman after waking up in a strange room didn't help because he had no idea what was happening or when the others would return to hurt him again. After another minute of silence, he just shrugged his shoulders listlessly and gave a single shake of his head.

"Is that because you don't have any question or because you just don't want to talk?"

This time the child hunched in on himself as he shrugged his shoulders yet again. The woman rolled her eyes in exasperation but didn't pester him with any more questions as she finished scanning him with the medical jutsu she'd been using. She then straightened up and propped her hands on her hips as she studied him a second time before she glanced towards the other bed that the child had briefly noticed earlier.

"What about you, do you have any questions?"

"No," a quiet voice replied and subject one-thirty-eight twisted around to find the small person he'd seen earlier sitting up on the other bed watching him and the woman with brown eyes that were so dark they looked black.

"Well I suppose I should be happy that you at least give me verbal replies to my questions. How are you feeling today? Are you still in any pain?"

"I'm okay."

"If you do feel any pain, please let one of the nurses know so that they can give you something to stop the pain."

"Okay."

"Did you wish me to have the nurse bring you your breakfast when I send her in with the gaki's meal?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, I'll see the two of you tonight after supper then," the woman stated as she headed towards the door without looking back at the two boys.

Number one-thirty-eight ignored the woman in favor of studying the other boy; the first person he ever recalled seeing that was as small as him. The other boy studied him just as openly in return. Eventually, the emerald eyed child grew bored and shakily pushed himself up into a seated position for the first time in years so that he could look around the room. He'd barely taken in the white walls, the shiny floors, and plastic furniture before the door opened once more to admit another woman carrying two trays.

The new woman was wearing a pale green, shapeless uniform that one-thirty-eight would quickly learn to associate with medics and a matching green hat that she'd stuffed her long, dark brown hair up into. She wasn't quite as pretty as the blonde lady but she also wasn't nearly as grumpy; the new woman offering a cheerful smile to both boys the moment she looked up and saw both of them watching her.

"Ohayou, little ones."

"Ohayou," the dark eyed boy replied while one-thirty-eight held his tongue and eyed the woman warily; smiles almost always meant more pain for him.

"Please eat as much of your soup as you can, boys," the woman instructed as she set one of the trays onto a hospital table and shifted the table down and over so that the tray with a small bowl of thin broth was situated over one-thirty-eight's lap. She then looked right at one-thirty-eight and asked, "Do you need any help eating?"

One-thirty-eight automatically shook his head no and the woman gave a noncommittal hum in response. The woman then moved around the bed to deposit the second tray on another table for the other child before she left the room. One-thirty-eight stared after her until he could no longer see her before he glanced down at the bowl in front of him. He then lifted his gaze to peer at the other child as he heard a soft slurping sound fill the room. As he watched, the brown haired boy drank straight from the bowl of soup he'd been given; spilling several drops down the front of the thin cotton hospital shirt he wore.

After watching for a few more minutes, one-thirty-eight attempted to mimic the other boy. He would end up spilling more than half of the broth out onto the tray and over the thin shirt that he was wearing before he managed to actually taste the soup. An explosion of unfamiliar and long forgotten flavors against his tongue caught the boy off guard the moment he took that first sip. The intensity of that first taste woke a desperate hunger inside of the child and a heartbeat later he was guzzling down the rest of the liquid.

His stomach wanted to rebel against the invasion of liquid; the first such liquid it had held in over two years and the child whimpered softly as he dropped the bowl, wrapped his arms around his tummy, and curled up into a ball as he tried to ignore the gurgly tightness in his stomach while he pressed his lips tightly together to stop himself from throwing up. He would fall asleep shortly after that due to the fullness of his stomach making him drowsy and content despite the slight upset; two feelings he had long since forgotten existed.

One-thirty-eight would be woken up by a warm hand shaking his shoulder several hours later and he gave a soft whimper-whine and curled up tighter because he didn't want to wake up and find himself strapped to the cold metal table in the dark room again. A soft laugh and a second shake had him starting awake and the emerald eyed child was soon staring into a pair of deep blue-green eyes beneath a mop of mint green hair that stuck out all over the place.

"You are such an adorable little thing, child," the man declared with another laugh. "Come on and sit up for me; I need to change the sheets on your bed and get you into a clean set of clothes."

The boy reluctantly sat up and soon felt himself lifted up off the bed and he tensed up at the unfamiliar sensation of being held in another person's arms. He was set down on a chair two heartbeats later while the man maneuvered a small table in front of him before placing a tray holding another small bowl of soup down on the table.

"Drink your soup, child," the man instructed warmly as he turned away from the child and quickly stripped the bed before he deftly slipped on a clean set of sheets and another pale green blanket.

The boy watched the process for a moment before he turned his attention to the bowl in front of him. His mouth began watering the moment he scented of the tantalizing aromas rising from the tolerably warm broth and his stomach gave out a small growl. This time he only spilled a quarter of the soup down the front of his shirt; his hands and arms still a little uncoordinated because of how little experience he had of moving them about on his own.

He'd barely set the empty bowl back down on the tray when the man was whisking table and tray out of the way and lifting one-thirty-eight into his arms once more as he praised, "Very good, child. Let's go get you out of those dirty clothes and get you washed up before we put a clean set of clothes on you."

The child was uncertain what to think of being properly bathed for the first time in two years. He disliked the slightly slimy and gritty feel of the soap that the man used to scrub him and the water used to rinse him off was uncomfortably warm. He definitely hated the way the water made his eyes sting and the way it clogged up his ears when it slid down inside of them each time water was poured over his head. He felt more than a little relieved when the man announced that he was finished before he dried him off and dressed him in a clean set of what he had learned were hospital pajamas.

One-thirty-eight was then carried back out to the bed he'd woken up in and tucked back under the covers. The boy would soon drift off back to sleep once more as the overly friendly and cheerful man moved to wake up the other boy so that his bed could be remade while he ate lunch before he too was washed and dressed in clean pajamas.

Test subject one-thirty-eight woke up a third time after another several hours and lay perfectly still as he stared up at the ceiling. He was feeling rather frightened and at the same time desperately hopeful. The fear came from the expectancy that one of the faceless ones would appear any minute now to bring back the pain. Yet, despite the suffering he had endured for the past two and a half years, there was a small part of the child that remained untouched and untarnished; it was that part of him that hoped that he might never see the cruel man again, that he could stay here in this bright place forever.

The child would be pulled from his daydreaming by the arrival of the green-clad woman that had delivered his first bowl of soup that morning. He perked up a bit when he immediately noted that she was once again bearing two trays of food and one-thirty-eight hurriedly sat up in anticipation of experiencing yet another meal. The woman smiled at him in response and quickly set him up with his tray of food; which held a quarter cup of what he'd later learn was green tea in addition to the small bowl of broth.

"Are you feeling better now, little one?"

One-thirty-eight tentatively nodded in response to the question even as his little hands shot out to wrap around the bowl holding the soup. He was extremely proud of himself when he managed to drink the soup without spilling a single drop this time; his arms already feeling stronger from the practice he'd had during the first two meals. Once he finished the soup, the emerald eyed child turned his attention to the cup on his tray. He let out the softest pleased hum when his first taste of the unfamiliar liquid brought with it the long forgotten taste of honey and lemon alongside of the slightly bitter taste of tea.

There was something comforting about the taste of tea (even if the flavor didn't quite match his fragmented memories) and one-thirty-eight did his best to savor every single drop of the drink in stark contrast to the way he'd guzzled his soup.

He was still nursing the same two ounces of tea when the blonde lady from that morning arrived in the company of two white haired men. The first white haired man looked old with wrinkles around his eyes and age spots on his face while the second man looked rather young despite the color of his hair with a pair of bright red tear tracks coursing down his face. The younger looking man was also nearly a foot taller than the older man. Both men stopped walking the moment they noticed that one-thirty-eight was awake and they openly studied him just as intently as he was studying them.

"I see what you mean about his eyes being rather unforgettable, Tsunade," the older white haired man stated as he finally moved closer to one-thirty-eight's bed. "I don't recall ever seeing that particular shade of green on any other human."

"Do you think the color of his eyes might be a visible marker for a previously undiscovered doujutsu, sensei?" the other white haired man inquired as he too moved closer.

One-thirty-eight instinctively shrank back away from the two men as he clutched his unfinished tea to his chest. He didn't know what it was about the two men but they just screamed danger to him. It wasn't that they were scary, because they weren't, they did feel powerful though and it made him feel small. He also didn't know whether or not they had been part of the faceless ones because he couldn't remember what any of the faceless ones looked like.

"Or the color could be the result of something that Orochimaru did to the child," the first man retorted grimly.

Upon hearing the name of the cruel man, one-thirty-eight gave out a deep throated growl that startled all four of the adults in the room (the nurse still lingering as she waited for the two boys to finish their meal). One-thirty-eight hated Orochimaru deeply and even just hearing the man's name was enough to stir both his anger and his fear. The small bit of tea in the cup he was holding froze in response to the negative emotions and soon the very air around one-thirty-eight began to steadily drop even as hoarfrost began forming on him, his clothes, and the bed he was sitting on.

"Calm down, gaki," Tsunade, as the older white haired man had called her earlier, commanded as she walked up to one-thirty-eight and snapped her fingers in front of his face. One-thirty-eight flinched back away from her hand and dropped his tea cup as he jerked his eyes up to meet her gaze. "You are in no condition to go wasting chakra right now."

One-thirty-eight wilted under her stern gaze and the ice clinging to him quickly began melting as his anger fled in the wake of the woman's admonishment. He then dropped his eyes to the fallen cup on his bed and let out a pitiful whine under his breath the moment he realized that last little bit of his tea had been turned into a popsicle.

"Remarkable," the younger man declared as he scooped up a handful of the half melted ice crystals from the bottom of one-thirty-eight's bed. "This is irrefutable evidence that the boy has an active Hyouton. I'm also rather curious to know how he managed to grow that odd tree a couple of nights ago."

"I'm far more curious to know what triggered the child's anger," the other man countered as he stepped around the younger man so that he could reach out to place his hand under one-thirty-eight's chin and gently lifted the child's face so that the boy had no choice but to look up at the man. "Will you tell me what made you angry?"

"Orochimaru," the other boy answered in one-thirty-eight's place from his bedside as he stared at the group around one-thirty-eight's bed with wide, solemn eyes.

One-thirty-eight automatically growled again in response to hearing the hated name a second time, though before he could get angry enough draw on the ice again, the man holding his chin prisoner lightly flicked him on the nose. One-thirty-eight scowled at the man and jerked his face back out of the grip before he brought his hands up to avoid having his nose flicked a second time.

"It is impolite to growl like an animal; if you do not wish to be treated like a misbehaving puppy, then do not behave like one," the man admonished sternly as he waggled his finger in front of the child's eyes. The man then turned to address the other child, "Thank you for answering the question. Might I ask how you knew what was bothering your friend?"

"Cause that man makes me mad too."

"Ah, I see; and the reason why you felt the need to answer the question in your friend's place?"

"He wasn't going to say anything."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling," the boy replied with a shrug.

"Hnn," the old man hummed as he glanced between the two boys before his gaze once more settled on number one-thirty-eight. "Is what he said true?" The green-eyed boy shrugged and gave a halfhearted nod before he shrugged a second time. "Is there any particular reason why you aren't speaking? Is there something wrong with your throat?"

One-thirty-eight just shrugged and shook his head before he curled up and wrapped his arms around his legs. He didn't really have a reason for not speaking aside from the fact that he just didn't want to talk. Well, that and part of him just couldn't forget the way the faceless men and women always made the darkness come whenever he had tried to talk in the past. Besides, there were plenty of other people that were more than happy to do nothing but talk, so why did he need to say anything at all?

"Does that mean that you would be willing to answer some of my questions?" the man asked as he took a seat on the edge of the bed and one-thirty-eight blinked at him before he shrugged a second time. "Well, I suppose that's better than an outright refusal. Tell me, child, do you remember the number that you were given by the man who hurt you?" The child hesitated a moment before he slowly nodded yes. "Will you tell me what that number was?"

The green eyed boy frowned before he half shrugged his shoulders and then buried his face against his knees when the man frowned at him in response to his non-answer. He didn't like his number and he didn't want anyone else to know his number. People who knew his number always hurt him or grabbed at him.

"I had hoped that you would be a little more willing to cooperate but your reticence isn't completely unexpected under the circumstances," the old man murmured as he stood up. "Jiraiya, I'd like for you to approach the Yamanaka Clan and see if one of their more adept members will be available sometime tomorrow morning to view the child's memories. I'd also like for you to check in with Kasai and find out if any records were recovered from the child's prison room over the past few days."

"Wakatta, Sarutobi-sensei," the younger white haired man stated before he hurried out of the room.

The old man and the pretty woman left just a short while later and the young boy known only as test subject one-thirty-eight soon fell into a restless sleep that was filled with fragmented nightmares as his fears followed him into his dreams.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Gaki – brat  
>Hai – yes<br>Wakatta – understood or I understand

**Notes: **

Cardiac arrhythmia – irregular or abnormal heartbeat

The boys' thought & speech patterns – yes, I am aware that I am portraying both boys as being slightly more mature than most three and a half year old's would be; that is intentional. My reasoning for the portrayal is meant to reflect the meddling that Orochimaru did to increase their brain functions and the introduction of the brain stem cells of the Shodai Hokage (who was an adult in the prime of his life when he died) and those of an unnamed adult from the Yuki Clan in Harry's case.

They were also both exposed to a large number of adults that spoke almost nothing but technical and medical jargon in their presence for two years; something that will have affected their vocabulary. Harry's ability to speak and understand Japanese is based upon the same reasoning as he's been submersed in the Japanese language from the moment that Orochimaru found him and he was at an age where it would be feasible for him to pick up a new language fairly quickly.


	3. The Decision

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Three: The Decision<span>

_December 17, 0283 AtD, 9:25 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

The green eyed child tightly clutched the not yet empty cup of tea in his hands as he glared at Hiruzen while ignoring the long haired teen that was standing beside the Hokage. The child had been nursing that same four ounces of tea for over an hour (the AnBu hospital served breakfast at eight o'clock sharp every morning, unless a patient was unconscious or otherwise unable to eat) in a determined effort to make the half cup of liquid last as long as possible. The reason why the child was currently glaring at him was because Hiruzen had just told him to hurry up and finish his tea or put the cup down.

"If you will agree to set your cup down for a few moments, I will have someone bring a fresh cup for you when we are finished," Yamanaka Inoichi, the long haired teen that had come with Hiruzen this morning, cajoled as he stepped closer and held his hands out for the cup.

The offer of more tea had the boy dropping his glare and downing the last few dregs in the cup before he eagerly handed the cup over while adamantly nodding his head in agreement. Apparently the prospect of getting a second cup of tea was enough to placate the child; something that both amused and saddened the Sandaime Hokage due to the fact that it was the first show of normal childish behavior that the child in question had displayed since waking up.

"Thank you, child," Inoichi murmured as he accepted the proffered cup and placed it on the hospital table beside the child's bed. "Please lie down and make yourself comfortable now; I'm going to use one of my family's techniques to view your memories so that we can better understand what happened to you. You may feel a little weird while I am viewing your memories but I promise you that my jutsu will not cause you any pain."

The child reluctantly did as he was told and held himself stiffly as Inoichi placed one hand on the child's head and formed a half seal with his other hand in order to initiate the jutsu. The seventeen year old hadn't been inside of the child's head for more than twelve minutes before the child let out a low whine of distress. Hiruzen frowned as the child then began writhing; his little hands flying up to grasp the wrist of Inoichi's hand that was touching his forehead. He was just grimly wondering what kind of terrible memory would spark such a reaction in the child when things went pear-shaped.

The temperature in the room plunged a good twenty degrees as a dozen jagged ice spikes burst forth from the floor beneath the child's bed; the deadly spikes barely missing Inoichi and the child and forcing Hiruzen to rapidly retreat from the vicinity of the bed. A split second later, a living rope of snow and ice as thick as Hiruzen's forearm rose from the child's chest to snake around Inoichi's torso. The Hokage took two steps forward out of concern for both teen and child before he stopped in shock as he watched several grayish-green vines sprout from around the base of the ice rope.

As he watched, the growing vines shot out to wrap around both of Inoichi's arms and promptly thickened into two inch thick tree branches while pale blue flower buds began appearing along the length of the branches. The buds bloomed a heartbeat later just before the branches heaved the trussed up Inoichi back and away from the child; breaking his connection to the child. Inoichi gave a soft pained grunt as the jutsu he was using was crudely broken by the physical separation but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.

Hiruzen shook himself out of his stupor at that point and hurried forward to slap a Sleep Seal Tag on the child. The child fell unconscious almost instantly the moment Hiruzen activated the seal; the living rope of ice solidifying and the vines turned branches ceasing all movement the moment he lost consciousness. The Sandaime stared at the frozen tableau for several seconds before he reached out to finger one of the delicate blue and white flowers that riddled the wooden ropes and his eyebrows climbed high in surprise when the flower melted the moment he touched it; the flowers were all made of fragile, velvet-like ice.

"All you all right, Inoichi?" Hiruzen inquired as he forced himself to focus on the blonde teen currently trussed up in a combination of ice and wood.

"Yes, Hokage-sama; I just have a mild headache due to the jutsu being broken so roughly. I could also use a little help getting out of these bindings; he has me wrapped up in such a way that I can't move my arms at all."

Hiruzen signaled to one of the two hidden AnBu stationed in the room to stand guard over the two children and the moment the cat masked man dropped the camouflage jutsu, Hiruzen ordered, "Cut him free and seal both the wood and the ice into a scroll under a preservation seal; take special care not to touch the flowers or they will be destroyed. The samples are then to be taken to Aburame Shoichi so that they can be studied alongside of the samples taken from the tree that the child was found inside of the other night."

The masked shinobi nodded as he drew the katana that was strapped crosswise on his back. As the guard deftly cut free sections of the wood and ice, Hiruzen turned his attention back to Inoichi as he asked, "How much were you able to learn from his memories before he kicked you out of his mind? Were you at least able to identify the subject number that had been assigned to the child or the number and type of experiments that had been performed on him?"

"Not as much as you had hoped I would but I did learn that the child was designated as test subject one-thirty-eight and he was part of Orochimaru's Kekkei Genkai experiments," Inoichi replied as his arms were finally cut free from the thick restraining branches. "His memories are severely fragmented and the pieces strung together without any apparent rhyme or reason. I am also uncertain as to whether or not the disjointed memories were subconsciously created by the child as a defensive measure to protect his mind from the constant pain he endured or if it was due to his mind sacrificing his memories to cope with the pain."

Inoichi paused for a moment as he massaged his right shoulder before he continued, "The one thing that I am certain of is that the broken memories were not the result of any one deliberately tampering with his mind. I also don't think the child intentionally forced me out. I felt no resistance pushing against my mind as I scrolled through his memories; one second I was viewing one of his memories and the next I was not."

"What memory were you viewing at the time?"

"I believe it was the child's memory of the night Orochimaru's deprivations came to light. The traitor had just injected the child with the combination of drugs that the recovered medical reports indicate he was using to activate the implanted Kekkei Genkai when something went wrong with the procedure. The child was in considerable pain just before the implanted Hyouton activated followed by the corrupted activation of the Mokuton. I was thrown out just as the child was completely encased in the ice riddled tree."

"Hnn," Hiruzen grunted as he reached down to brush the child's hair from his face as he tried not to think about the possibility that he would have to order the child put down to protect the village; there were times when he truly hated being the Hokage. The Sandaime then briefly glanced at the sleeping form of the other boy that had been found before he turned back to face Inoichi as he ordered, "Go find a medic to give you a quick scan to insure that the child's Kekkei Genkai didn't leave behind any unpleasant surprises and have them tend to your headache. Once you are finished, report to my office in order to give a full accounting of what you learned."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen silently acknowledged the reply before he turned away from the children that his former favorite student had wronged and swept out of the room to escape the negative emotions that were currently weighing him down. As he stepped outside of the AnBu facility, Hiruzen silently signaled to one of his ever present AnBu Guards to go track down the rest of those individuals that would need to be part of the upcoming meeting. Once the frog masked woman had vanished in a swirl of smoke, Hiruzen stood for a moment and stared out over the village he loved while he tried to center his emotions so that he could approach the problem of what to do with the only two survivors of Orochimaru's wretched experiments with a clear head.

Forty-three minutes later, Hiruzen watched the individuals he had summoned step inside of his office from behind his desk. All of the men and women he had called upon were powerful allies and friends that he'd known for years; men and women that he trusted with his life and with the lives of Konoha's people. The first ones to step inside of the room were Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu; Hiruzen's long time teammates and friends. He had named both of them as his advisors shortly after the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had chosen him to take up the mantle of Sandaime Hokage twenty-six years earlier.

The next person to enter on the heels of that pair was Shimura Danzou; another long time friend and often times a rival of Hiruzen's. They didn't always get along but the man loved Konoha as much as Hiruzen did and the old war hawk's council had been invaluable through the years; even if Hiruzen hadn't always appreciated Danzou's rather harsh militant stance. On Danzou's heels came the current AnBu Corps Commander; Akimichi Torifu also known as Kasai when he wore the featureless porcelain mask bearing a trio of stylized flames as he did now. Torifu was as ruthless as he was kind and the man ran the AnBu Corps with an iron fist but took pains to insure that the men under him were well taken care of both on and off duty.

After the masked Torifu, was Nara Shikarou; the current regent of the Nara Clan on behalf of his nephew (who would be named Head of the Clan upon his twenty-first birthday). The man was a genius when it came to strategy (as most members of the Nara Clan were) but it was his uncanny ability to unravel any mystery with naught but a handful of clues that had made him a name off of the battlefield. Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi arrived just a minute later; the two teammates quietly conversing as they stepped into the office.

Shikaku, like his uncle, was a brilliant strategist despite the lazy façade he wore outside of battle. The Yamanaka heir wasn't a slouch in the intelligence department either. The blonde teen was his clan's pride and joy; the first prodigy born into their clan in three generations, he'd quickly developed a deep understanding of the inner workings of the mind that allowed him to use his family's hidden jutsu to their fullest before he'd earned his hitai-ate. Those two young men, together with their absent teammate Akimichi Chouza (who was currently out of the village on a mission with his father), were a force to be reckoned with both on and off the battlefield.

Shifting his eyes past the two young teens, Hiruzen focused his gaze on another formidable trio that had just arrived; Hyuuga Haruto, Inuzuka Kamu, and Aburame Shoichi. All three men were the respective heads of their clans and all three of them were as different from one another as day is to night. Haruto was an unmoving stone in body and mind but once in action, he was as deadly as an avalanche and just as difficult to stop. Kamu was a fiery volcano of emotions by contrast; a man that lived from moment to moment and who was filled with a burning passion for life and beautiful women. And Shoichi was the silent support and mediator that held the team together and resolved any issues that cropped up with calm logic.

The next two individuals to arrive were Sato Furofuki and Umeboshi Nigiri. Furofuki was a talented medic that preferred researching healing jutsu, searching for cures to rare diseases, and creating an assortment of poisons and antidotes over actually healing patients. Nigiri, on the other hand, could give any Nara a run for their money when it came to decoding ciphers and codes; something that had seen the man appointed as the Head of the Cipher Division over twelve years ago.

The final two individuals to enter the room were Yamaguchi Jiraiya and Senju Tsunade; Hiruzen's students and Orochimaru's teammates. Tsunade was the daughter of Senju Takeshi, granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage (Senju Hashirama), and the sole surviving member of the Senju Clan. She was a powerful kunoichi and a gifted medic. By contrast, Jiraiya was an orphan with no special talents (unless one counted his ability to make enemies out of every woman within a hundred miles of his vicinity because of his perverted tendencies). He was also hard working, bull-headed, and utterly devious when the mood struck him.

Hiruzen's thoughts turned inwards at that point as he allowed his thoughts to once again turn back to his traitorous student.

Orochimaru had also been an orphan but unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru was gifted; the snake summoner had been the type of prodigy that all teachers longed to teach just so they could claim to have had a hand in his achievements. Hiruzen had taken that brilliant mind under his wing and given him everything he could to make him great. Tragically, somewhere along the line, Orochimaru had become corrupted without letting on that he was sinking deeper into the forbidden arts with every breath he took. War had turned the once bright child into a cold man that wouldn't think twice about inflicting unspeakable horrors upon helpless children.

Fighting back a pained sigh, Hiruzen banished his former fatherly feelings for his former student to the depths of soul and focused on the here and now so that he could bring the meeting to order, "Thank you all for arriving promptly. I know that I originally gave each of you a full two weeks to compile your findings but complications have arisen and I need an overview of what you have learned to date so that I can make an informed decision on what to do with the two young survivors that were found within Orochimaru's hidden laboratory."

"Do the complications you mentioned have anything to do with the defensive reaction that the unidentified boy had to the mind intrusion earlier this morning?" Kasai demanded gruffly.

"Yes."

"What happened?" Shikarou inquired curiously.

"According to Usagi's report, the child used a combination of the Hyouton and the Mokuton to disrupt and break free from the Mind Delving; wrapping Inoichi up in ice and tree branches so tightly he couldn't break free on his own," Kasai answered in Hiruzen's place.

"Mendoukusei," Shikaku muttered in a lazy tone.

"Why did you have one of the Yamanaka peeking through a child's head?" Nigiri demanded with a slight frown; a child's mind being far more delicate than an adult's mind and therefore far easier to damage if you are not careful.

"The boy in question has remained stubbornly silent since he woke up yesterday and we needed information that only the child could provide for us due to the fact that we were unable to recover all of the records on what had been done to him," Hiruzen explained as he picked up his favorite pipe, filled the bowl with fresh tobacco leaves, struck a match, and lit his pipe. "We also needed to know whether or not Orochimaru tampered with the child's mind above and beyond what he did in the course of the experimentations to prevent him from answering our questions."

"I had originally intended to wait a couple of more days before I called in one of the Yamanaka to view his memories but I thought it best not to wait after the mere mention of my former student's name triggered a negative response from the child last night. While that normally wouldn't be an issue, the child's anger set off an automatic activation of his implanted Hyouton which resulted in the temperature of their secure ward dropping several degrees and I am uncertain if he would have also called upon the Mokuton if he hadn't been snapped out of his anger fairly quickly."

"You believe that the child might be too dangerous to let live," Kasai stated in a grim monotone.

"I don't like it," Kamu muttered darkly. "Children are meant to be protected; not disposed of simply because they have not yet been trained."

"Child or not; the boy is nothing more than a faulty weapon. Better to give him a merciful death now and spare the village from the untold destruction he could unleash than to sacrifice half of our force to put him down after he loses control completely and goes on a rampage," Danzou countered almost coldly.

"There is no point in discussing the child's future or lack there of until we have all of the facts on the table," Hiruzen interjected before anyone else could make a retort. "Inoichi, could you please start by informing the rest of the room what you learned while delving the child's memories earlier?"

"The first thing I need to point out is that the child's memories were a mess. I am still uncertain as to whether or not the fragmented and disjointed memories I found were subconsciously created by the child as a defensive measure to protect his mind from the constant pain that he was inflicted with during his captivity or if it was due to his mind sacrificing his memories in order to cope with the pain. I do know that the child's broken memories were not a result of Orochimaru or any one else tampering with his mind."

"The deplorable state of the child's memories made it difficult to gather any in depth information on exactly what had been done to the child but I was able to piece together enough information to get a rough idea. I will start with the information that I learned about the child before I cover what I learned in regards to what was done to the child during his imprisonment. First, the child had been found abandoned and alone in the forest by Orochimaru approximately two years ago. Next, the child has no true memories of his life prior to being found by the traitor. And the last thing I learned is that the child has refused to speak because he just doesn't want to talk."

"That brings me to the information I collected in regards to what was done to the child. To start, the child was designated as test subject one-thirty-eight and he was used in at least three Kekkei Genkai experiments that involved his unnamed internal healing ability, the Hyouton, and the Mokuton. There was also an indication that Orochimaru performed some other medical experiments on him but those memories were not clear enough for me to determine what kind of experiments they were. Next, the child was in near constant pain throughout his entire time as Orochimaru's prisoner; meaning that the child was basically tortured for a minimum of two years."

"The very last thing I learned was that Orochimaru had been attempting to activate the child's implanted Mokuton the night Orochimaru's activities were discovered. It was at that point I was cast out of the child's mind due to the child's two bloodlines physically breaking my contact with the child," Inoichi finished with a trace of embarrassment.

"He physically broke the connection? He didn't fight you mentally?" Shikaku questioned after a minute of silence filled the office.

"No, there was no mental resistance from the child at all. I've delved through the minds of enough individuals over the past seven years to recognize what it feels like when someone fights my presence and that feeling of resistance was not present in the child."

"Mendoukusei, I didn't doubt your ability to sense resistance; I was seeking clarification that you hadn't felt him fighting your intrusion on a mental level since it is rare for someone to physically force you out of their mind," Shikaku muttered with an eye roll.

"You might not have but there are others present that might have doubted my capabilities if I hadn't spoken up and pointed out my current level of experience," Inoichi dryly pointed out as he slapped his friend and teammate upside the back of his head.

"Tch, whatever," Shikaku muttered as he side-stepped out of reach of Inoichi's hands to avoid future head slaps.

"Does anyone else have anything they wanted to ask?" Hiruzen inquired as he ignored the two teen's less than professional interactions; he was used to his shinobi frequently acting like children around him once they got over their awe of being in his presence.

"How exactly did subject one-thirty-eight physically break the connection between his mind and Inoichi's mind?" Koharu inquired when no one else spoke up.

"He first attempted to shove Inoichi's hand off of his forehead before a ring of ice spikes separated the child and Inoichi from the rest of the room," Hiruzen answered. "A rope of ice sprung up from the boy's chest to wrap around Inoichi's chest immediately after the spikes stopped growing and several flowering vines grew from the base of the rope to wrap themselves around Inoichi's arms. The vines then thickened into branches as they forced his hands up and out as the rope shoved him backwards. I do not know what else the child would have done if I had not stepped in at that point and slapped a sleep seal on the child to end the two jutsu."

"Just to clarify; were the ice and the vines completely separate forms or were they twined together?" Shoichi asked as his brow furrowed slightly; an indication that the man was frowning behind his sunglasses and jacket collar.

"Separate; though the delicate flowers that appeared on the vines appeared to be made entirely from ice despite the fact that they looked and behaved like actual flowers."

"Were you able to determine the child's mental health and emotional stability?" Shikarou inquired while everyone else was still digesting the information that Inoichi had given them.

"The child was traumatized by his experiences; which is only expected given the level of suffering he endured. His mind was not broken, however, and I do not believe that he poses any risk to either himself or to the village. Unfortunately, I do not know where he stands emotionally; his emotions were far too jumbled for me to get an accurate read of them at the time bar the powerful hate towards the one he believes is responsible for that pain; Orochimaru. I highly recommend that he receive regular counseling in order to help him deal with everything that happened to him; if only to help him cope with his darker memories and emotions."

"I will make note of your recommendation and see that arrangements are made once we've reached a decision on what to do with both children," Hiruzen stated as he made several notes on the scroll that he had been using to record Inoichi's report. "Did anyone else have any other questions for Inoichi?"

"Yes, can you describe the place where Orochimaru found the child?" Kasai asked and Hiruzen was certain that the man was frowning beneath his mask.

"It was a rather small clearing filled with smoke and what I could see of the ground and the surrounding trees in the memory were charred; as if there had been a fire in that clearing fairly recently."

"I suspected as much. The place where Orochimaru found the boy was less than five miles outside of Konoha and the date was November first, two hundred-eighty-one just a few minutes after midnight. Most of you will recall that that was the same night that the wall sentries reported an unusual disturbance outside of the village in the form of a bright gold light. The AnBu Squad sent to investigate the matter found nothing but a few singed trees in a small clearing."

"I vaguely recall reading a report about that incident," Hiruzen half mused to himself before he returned his attention to the meeting. "Were there any other questions? No? Then let us move on. Kasai, can you give us a report on the ongoing investigation that your department is carrying out on the underground premises?"

"According to what we've uncovered to date, the traitor had apparently been conducting experiments on living humans for roughly six years and suspect that he was experimenting on the dead for another five to ten years before that. During the initial sweep of the base, my men collected the corpses of well over two hundred and fifty young adults in their late teens or early twenties and another one hundred sixty corpses from adults between the ages of thirty and sixty. We also found the remains of sixty-seven children between the ages of two and seven; all of them preserved in various stages of dissection."

"Only half of the adult corpses recovered were from Orochimaru's bloodline experiments while the rest of the corpses appear to have been part of at least six other experiments. The research notes and medical reports that were found were turned over to the research team for analysis while we continued to search the premises for more clues. We also recovered a large collection of genetic samples that were turned over to the medical research team alongside of the corpses. Unfortunately, it was also clear that Orochimaru and his henchmen had a minimum of thirty minutes to collect and destroy a large amount of evidence before they scattered."

"Thank you, Kasai," Hiruzen murmured as he fought not to react to the large number of people (far too many of them young children) that had suffered at his student's hand. "Shikarou, what have you been able to piece together out of the notes and records that were found? And please limit your report to those findings that pertain to the two surviving children and the Kekkei Genkai experiments that Orochimaru was conducting; we can discuss your findings on his other experiments some other time."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama. Based upon the older notes and journals that were found, Orochimaru has been researching a method of implanting or transplanting Kekkei Genkai for just over a decade, though he didn't start implementing his procedure on living subjects until approximately four years ago. We now have solid evidence that Orochimaru was the one that had been stealing the bodies of Kekkei Genkai users from the morgue on top of hording the bodies of enemies he faced in battle; all of which ended up as part of his experiments. The number of deceased Kekkei Genkai carriers in his possession numbered well into the hundreds."

"The total number of different types of Kekkei Genkai users he had collected was closer to forty and the carriers were collected from a number of clans and families scattered throughout all of the Elemental Nations and hidden villages; including multiple subjects from the clans of Konoha. Despite the diversity of the Kekkei Genkai that he had collected, Orochimaru was rather fixated on the Mokuton. In fact, ninety percent of the experiments he conducted had been on the Mokuton while the other ten percent focused on a small number of other elemental Kekkei Genkai."

Shikarou paused for a moment to allow everyone a chance to absorb that information before he continued, "The first one hundred thirty-seven attempts Orochimaru made to implant a Kekkei Genkai into a living subject were well documented in the notes. All one hundred thirty-seven of those trials were failures and not a single one of the adult test subjects used in them survived. The tone of the research notes had grown increasingly more frustrated with each failure and there are indications that Orochimaru was on the verge of abandoning the project completely right up until he acquired test subject one-thirty-eight."

"Most of the research notes and medical charts on subject one-thirty-eight are missing; a clear indication that the traitor either took those notes with him when he fled or they were destroyed. There were, however, two references made in regards to the child shortly after he was found within the original research files. First, the boy was the only test subject to carry an existing Kekkei Genkai prior to him being used as part of the Kekkei Genkai experiments. The only information found on the Kekkei Genkai he carried was that it involved an internal healing ability that gave him an accelerated rate of healing. The second thing we learned was that the child's chakra network weak and on the verge of collapsing when he was first found."

"The next mention we found of test subject one-thirty-eight was actually a second reference to his inborn healing ability and that was found in the medical records on the child identified as test subject one-eighty-one. After combing through the medical records of the other children that had been involved in the experiments, we found an additional thirty-three references to number one-thirty-eight's healing ability and the attempt made by Orochimaru to transplant that ability into those thirty-four children."

"Only fifteen of the children would survive the procedure that was meant to grant them one-thirty-eight's healing ability and out of those fifteen only seven of them had gained a weaker version of one-thirty-eight's healing ability while the other eight received a mild boost to their immune systems. The boy known as test subject one-eighty-one was counted amongst the seven children that received a watered down version of one-thirty-eight's healing ability. Subject one-eighty-one was also the only other child to survive Orochimaru's Mokuton experiments."

"According to one-eighty-one's medical charts; the integration of the Shodai's Mokuton was successful and activation of the implanted bloodline was scheduled for sometime in May. According to what little information we have on subject one-thirty-eight, the activation of his second bloodline was scheduled for the same time period; indicating that Orochimaru either got impatient or something went wrong. Further speculation leads us to believe that the strange tree was an unintended side effect of Orochimaru activating the Mokuton in subject one-thirty-eight. Unless the research notes and medical charts for that child turn up at some point there is no way for us to confirm that theory though."

"Our team will need more time and the notes from the medical team if you wish us to piece together a detailed timeline of the experimentation, compile a full list of the physical effects the integration of the Kekkei Genkai will have on the two children, and determine the potential negative aspects of the children using the implanted abilities," Shikarou stated after he'd finished summarizing his team's findings.

"Wakatta. What has your team learned from the tree samples that were taken?"

"Far more than we expected, Shoichi; did you wish to present the findings since you were the one in charge of those tests?" Shikarou inquired as he glanced towards the other man.

"First, the tree and the veins of ice that riddled the tree were both composed entirely of elemental chakra," Shoichi began in response to the question. "Second, the chakra used to create the tree was corrupted. Third, the growth of the tree was uncontrolled and sporadic as the element used to fuel its growth constantly switched back and forth between wood and ice; hence the reason why the tree was riddled with veins of ice. Fourth, there was a secondary energy completely unrelated to chakra that was present within the decaying remains of the tree."

"Fifth, that alternate energy is what created the feeling of wrongness associated with the ice riddled tree. Sixth, that alternate energy was the reason for the rapid decay of the wood and ice formation. And last of all, the source of the secondary energy appears to be subject one-thirty-eight but without access to the child, I am unable to confirm that theory at this time."

Shoichi paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before he picked up where he left off, "The conclusions that can be drawn from those seven facts are as follows. One, Orochimaru successfully integrated both the Hyouton and the Mokuton into the child designated as test subject one-thirty-eight. Two, both Kekkei Genkai were forcefully activated at some point after their implantation. Three, a break down of the elements involved indicates that the child's dominant affinity is wind but that the Mokuton is actually the dominant bloodline with earth being the dominant affinity of the Mokuton.

"Four, the activation of the second Kekkei Genkai caused a conflict within the child's chakra network and the result of that conflict was that the child's earth and wind natures fought for dominance of his water nature. The battle between the two dominate elements was easy to read in the ice riddled wood of the tree. Five, the unnatural twisted growth of the ice and wood formation was an indication that the child's wind affinity was strong enough to affect the Mokuton. And six, if the child is the source of the secondary energy that was present, then that energy is potentially stronger than his chakra."

"The new samples that were delivered to our research facility should help us to determine the source of the secondary energy. However, direct access to the child in question would be the only definitive method of determining whether or not the child is the source of the secondary energy or if it something generated by the combination of opposing Kekkei Genkai," Shoichi finished in his usual monotone.

"Do you believe that the alternate energy you discovered is dangerous? Will it harm anyone that it comes into contact with?" Hiruzen inquired with some concern while the worry he felt was openly reflected on a number of the other faces in the room.

"No. The energy itself is not malicious – it is just different. In fact, one could go so far as to say that the alternate energy is to chakra what wine is to juice. They both come from fruits (or grains in some cases) but they both have far different properties and tastes. Pouring wine into juice corrupts the juice though; much as the second energy corrupted the chakra it came into contact with. I also do not believe that the unfamiliar energy will corrupt anyone else's chakra in quite the same way that it corrupted the chakra in the ice riddled tree or it would have been far more difficult to study the samples taken. In other words, the corrupting influence of the secondary energy was limited to the construct in which it was found and potentially within the child himself."

"That is good news. You have my leave to continue studying this secondary energy in an effort to pinpoint the source and log the full effects it has on those that come into contact with it," Hiruzen replied before he turned his attention to the kunoichi that he'd placed in charge of the medical research. "Furofuki, what have you learned from the remains of those that failed Orochimaru's experiments so far?"

"Orochimaru was using cells cultivated from the dead tissue of various Kekkei Genkai holders in order to 'gift' his test subjects with the Kekkei Genkai of the donor. The cells he cultivated for the transplants were bone marrow cells, blood cells, and brain stem cells. He was also integrating original cells from the selected donors into the test subjects' bodies; most specifically portions of the Kekkei Genkai user's chakra coils and pathways. Basically, he was seeking to forcefully alter the genetics of his test subjects in order to grant them rare or useful bloodlines."

"He focused mainly on the Mokuton; as ninety percent of the deceased test subjects we have tested to date have had the cultivated cells of the Shodai Hokage integrated into their bodies. The chakra pathway and coil transplants were mostly taken from other deceased members of the Senju Clan with both earth and water affinities that had activated the clan's Kekkei Genkai. However that does not hold true for at least five of the fourteen of the children that died between August and October; their transplants were all taken directly from the remains of Senju Hashirama."

Furofuki paused on her report when Tsunade made a strangled noise of anger and horror over that particular revelation; the blonde obviously angry and disturbed to learn that her teammate had desecrated her grandfather's grave and the graves of her dead clan members. Furofuki waited for Tsunade to regain control of her emotions before she continued with her report.

"Each test subject that we have studied to date had died after the third stage of the integration; when Orochimaru surgically expanded the subject's chakra coils by implanting minute portions of the donor's chakra coils. The cause of death for those subjects was determined to be the complete destruction of their chakra coils as a direct result of the procedure to integrate portions of the donor's coils. We will start examining the bodies of those that survived the third stage but failed the fourth stage once we have finished with the former."

"What about those that failed after the first or second phase of the experiment?" Hiruzen inquired with a slight frown.

"There were no test subjects that failed during or after the first two stages; at least, no human subjects. Stages three and four of the experiments were critical because they directly manipulated the subject's coils where a person's mental and physical energies are combined to form chakra and the subject's brain. On the other hand, stages one and two were merely manipulating the subject's D.N.A. in order to create a vessel capable of wielding the power he attempted to bestow upon the test subject."

"Thank you for clarifying that," Hiruzen murmured before he turned his attention to Tsunade. "Tsunade, what can you tell us about the current health of both survivors?"

"The boy identified as subject one-eighty-one is recovering from the ordeal. His injuries were rather minor aside from the surgical incisions from the multiple operations he'd undergone. His physical coordination is still far below what one would expect for a child of his estimated age, which is somewhere between three and four years old, but I believe that is the result of him being physically restrained for long periods of time over a period of approximately eighteen months and not a side effect of the procedures performed on him. And lastly, his chakra coils are still in a slightly chaotic state as his body struggles to incorporate the implanted Kekkei Genkai. There is no indication as of yet as to whether or not the child will ever activate the foreign Kekkei Genkai that was integrated into his body."

"The other boy though… the one designated as one-thirty-eight… he is, for all intents and purposes, completely healed and has been since about twenty-four hours after his removal from the underground base. The only reason he did not wake sooner was strictly due to the extreme chakra exhaustion he had been suffering from at the time. He has no residual scarring bar a faint jagged scar on his forehead whose origin is currently unknown; the placement of the scar inconsistent with any of the procedures associated with the bloodline experiments."

"Furthermore, despite indications that subject one-thirty-eight spent a minimum of two years restrained in the same manner as the other child, his physical coordination is improving at a phenomenal rate. Upon first awakening yesterday morning, he displayed the same uncoordinated movements and weakness that the other boy had but by yesterday evening, his body had completely adjusted to the new freedom of movement that had been denied to him for so long. To me, that is a clear indication that the child's healing ability grants him an added ability to incorporate muscle memory a minimum of three times faster than the current average for his age group. And the child's age is not a factor since he is about the same age as the other boy."

"What of the child's chakra network?" Shoichi inquired the moment Tsunade trailed off.

"The ruptures throughout his chakra network that were noted when he was first found have all been healed and I spent much of my time over the past three days reinforcing his pathways and coils in order to prevent future ruptures. His chakra reserves have also replenished at a far faster rate than normal; based upon how low his reserves were on the night he was found, the child should have been suffering from severe chakra exhaustion for another week or two. However, as of this morning, his reserves had been mostly restored. On top of that, the chakra he is producing is corrupted. It feels like normal chakra but at the same time it doesn't. There is a sense of wildness to his chakra that shouldn't exist."

"Could he be drawing upon natural energy?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"No; his chakra feels nothing like yours when you are in sage mode. I know it sounds crazy but the child's chakra feels like it is alive in a way that shouldn't be possible."

"Haruto, can you shed further light on what is going on with the child's chakra?" Hiruzen questioned as he tried to hide growing disquiet over what he was learning about the child in question.

"No; my Byakugan detected no abnormalities in the child's chakra network aside from the fact that his pathways and coils are abnormally large for a child near his age. I'd estimate that his reserves could easily be comparable to those of a low to mid Jounin in size at the moment and that they will only grow larger as he matures, providing that he is trained. The color of his chakra is slightly… off, for lack of a better word; appearing more as a pale gold rather than yellow like normal chakra. Aside from that, the only other thing of note would be the fact that the blending of the child's mental and physical energies is far better balanced than I would have expected based upon his age, lack of chakra training, and the internal conflict that Shoichi spoke of earlier between his elemental affinities and his Kekkei Genkai."

"Thank you, Haruto. Are there any other questions or comments? No…? Then I would hear your suggestions on what should be done with the two remaining survivors of Orochimaru's experiments."

"Is it possible to track down their parents?" Kamu inquired; family was an important concept to the Inuzuka.

"Doubtful; Orochimaru didn't exactly leave any detailed records behind when it came to the origins of the children he had used in his experiments," Jiraiya pointed out with a scowl. "And we have even less information about the second child; since his records were missing or destroyed."

"Knowing Orochimaru as well as I do, I can guarantee that the children he used for his experiments were all nameless orphans from no-name villages scattered throughout the Elemental Nations," Hiruzen added in a heavy tone as he felt another flash of grief and guilt mixed with anger. "He would not have wanted to there to be any chance that someone would take notice of the missing children and start searching for them."

"Even if that weren't the case, it would be inadvisable to hand either child off to anyone outside of Konoha," Homura interjected; the bespectacled man speaking up for the first time since the meeting started. "To do so would be to invite disaster simply because the children could be turned into weapons that would be used against Konoha."

"Why not give them to one of the clans to raise then?" Nigiri suggested on the heels of Homura's statement. "In fact, why not allow Tsunade to raise them? One of them has already displayed the capability of using the Mokuton and the other has a high chance of activating the Kekkei Genkai down the line; that practically makes them Senju…"

"Absolutely not!" Tsunade barked irritably as she directed a thread of killing intent towards the older man. "I don't care if they can use the Mokuton or not; those two boys are not and will never be Senju!"

"Calm down, Tsunade; it was just a suggestion, not a life's sentence," Hiruzen gently chided as he felt his heart break a little more for his fiery student; she had endured so much pain as she lost her family and loved ones one by one through the years and now they had learned that her teammate and honorary brother had desecrated her grandfather's remains. "I do not believe that Nigiri meant his proposal to cause you pain and putting the children in your care would give them access to your grandfather's Mokuton scrolls…"

"I'll give you the damn scrolls; I neither need nor want them because my grandfather's vaunted Kekkei Genkai skipped me entirely. I also refuse to be saddled with two babies."

"As you wish," Hiruzen capitulated out of respect for the woman's grief and more importantly out of a desire to avoid having her ire (and therefore her fist) directed towards him. "Since there are a number of clan heads present; which one of you would be willing to take guardianship of the two boys?"

"I do not believe it is a good idea to grant guardianship of either boy to any of the clans," Shikarou interjected before any one could speak up to offer the boys a home. "The political balance of power between the clans would be destroyed the moment you granted custody of the children to one or two of the clans. Don't forget; with the Mokuton potentially comes the Shodai's ability to control and contain the bijuu. The only clan that wouldn't affect the balance would be the Sarutobi Clan but placing the children under the care of your family, Hokage-sama, would place too great of scrutiny on the boys and paint a larger target on their heads."

"Are you suggesting that I should dispose of both children?" Hiruzen asked as he saw no other recourse given the truth in the Nara's words.

"No, I do not think they pose a threat to the village. The child designated as subject one-thirty-eight could have easily killed Inoichi instead of merely pushing him away; the child could have skewered him with the spikes of ice you said formed around him, after all. It would be best if both children were placed in the care of a shinobi whose loyalty to the village is above reproach. Someone strong enough to protect the children, patient enough to teach them how to control the twisted gift that the traitor forced upon them, and ordinary enough that they will not garner extra attention just by being in his or her care."

"I would be willing to take them in and train them," Danzou offered right away.

"You are far too well known to raise two children in obscurity," Kasai countered as he crossed his arms. "The guardian of the two boys should be selected from the rank and file shinobi; someone who has not necessarily made a name for himself. I also think it best that no one outside of the Hokage knows who is selected as their guardian in order to further protect the children. It would not do for rumors of their survival to make it back to Orochimaru, after all."

"I approve of that idea," Shikarou stated lazily.

"As do I," Shoichi agreed a heartbeat later.

"I would not be opposed to that," Kamu added after a moment. "Providing both boys with a family would raise the chances of them being grounded enough that they will grow up to be loyal to the village."

One by one the rest of those present agreed with Kasai's suggestion; though Hiruzen could tell that Danzou only agreed because he didn't wish to be the sole voice of opposition. He also knew that his friend and rival wished to turn the two boys into emotionless weapons to increase Konoha's power base. That was one of the many issues that he and his old friend disagreed on; children were meant to be children, not emotionless tools. Pushing aside his ruminations, Hiruzen wrapped up the meeting.

"Very well, then; I will go through the rosters to find an appropriate guardian to take the two boys. I will give the rest of you until the end of the month to wrap up your investigations and research. Dismissed."

Everyone began filing out of the office at that point until the only ones remaining were Hiruzen, Kasai, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. Knowing that his old friend wouldn't speak until the other two left, Hiruzen looked to his two remaining students and gestured for them to speak up.

"In exchange for handing over my grandfather's Mokuton Scrolls to train the two boys, I'd like to request permission to leave the village," Tsunade stated after a brief glance in Jiraiya's direction. "I can't stay here. It was hard enough before Orochimaru's treachery was discovered but now… I just can't… it hurts too much."

"I was afraid that this day would come," Hiruzen intoned as he suddenly felt decades older than his forty-seven years. "I will grant you leave to travel outside of the village for as long as you need providing you send back periodical reports with any information on Konoha's enemies that you stumble upon. Will you be taking young Shizune with you? I know that you promised…"

"I would prefer to leave her here in Konoha but I doubt she will allow me to leave her behind," Tsunade interrupted before Hiruzen could speak her deceased fiancé's name.

"I shall draw up the apprenticeship paperwork for you then, so that you have a legitimate reason to take her out of the village with you when you leave. How soon do you plan to leave?"

"I wish I could leave right now but I will stay until the two boys are turned over to their new guardian."

"How much longer do you estimate it to be until the boys can be released?"

"They can be released now. There is no real reason for them to stay in the hospital aside from monitoring their diet to insure there are no complications from them being reintroduced to solid foods after they had been fed intravenously for an unnaturally long period. There is also their physical therapy sessions to considered – the latter of which the second boy hasn't even started yet, though I am beginning to suspect that he will not need them as much as the first boy."

"I will see if I can locate an appropriate guardian for them within the next five to seven days."

"Arigatou, sensei; I will deliver grandfather's scrolls to you sometime tomorrow," Tsunade murmured before she turned away from him and wandered out of the room looking for all the world like a lost lamb instead of the powerful kunoichi she was.

"I thought you would fight harder to keep her here," Jiraiya commented once the blonde had disappeared.

"Konoha has nothing to hold her here any longer. She only stayed for you… and _him_. His betrayal was the final straw for her and the fact that he desecrated her grandfather's remains with his wretched experiments only made it worse. What about you? Are you going to stay or are you going to leave again?"

"I will leave when Tsunade leaves unless you need me to stick around for another week. I want to pick up Orochimaru's trail and see if I can find out where he's planning to go to ground."

"Very well; I will expect your usual monthly reports then. Do be careful out there, Jiraiya."

"I'm always careful," Jiraiya stated as he crossed his arms and all but pouted at Hiruzen.

"Unless there is a scantily clad woman in sight and then you turn into a drooling idiot," Kasai countered dryly.

"Speaking of which, I'd best go get in as much research as I can before I leave," Jiraiya murmured as he ignored the insult in Kasai's words, slapped a seal tag down on top of Hiruzen's desk, and slipped out of the window without actually saying goodbye to either man.

Two seconds later, a small privacy barrier shimmered into existence around both men and the desk as Kasai activated the seal that Jiraiya had intentionally left on his way out of the room. The man then pulled the mask from his face and ran a weary hand over his face before he looked up to meet Hiruzen's gaze.

"You'd better get those boys moved quickly before they end up disappearing right out from under our noses. In fact, it would probably be better to fake the children's deaths in order to insure that Orochimaru believes both boys to have died as a result of his experiments," Torifu bluntly instructed. "Too many people know about them and too many people will be tempted to harness their abilities for themselves. It almost would have been better if there had been no survivors found."

"Do what you want to secure the boys; just be sure you let Tsunade know where you put them so that she can continue monitoring their recovery. Once you've done that, I want you to hunt down two trustworthy shinobi to take guardianship of them; I want them separated in order to further protect them since the others are expecting me to keep them together."

"Why not choose someone yourself?"

"I stand out too much and my every move will be watched closely. It is better that I play decoy in order to draw attention away from you and the individuals you select to take guardianship of the boys. I know I can trust you not to accidentally lose one or both of the boys during the transference."

"Wakatta. Do you want me to pass you the name of their guardians once the deed has been done?"

"No. I think it best that I learn nothing of their whereabouts until they turn fifteen or they are promoted to Chuunin; which ever comes later. The less I know about their lives from this point forward, the safer they will be."

"As you wish, old friend," Torifu replied as he slipped his mask back on and destroyed the seal tag generating the privacy barrier.

Hiruzen found himself alone in his office once more a minute later. As he watched the smoke dissipate from Torifu's transportation technique, he couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right decision. After a moment, he buried his self-doubts and began the tedious process of going through the day's paperwork even as he made a dozen different plans to draw attention away from Torifu's task.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Arigatou – thank you  
>Gaki – brat<br>Hai – yes  
>Kasai – flame<br>Mendoukusei – how troublesome, what a drag, or this sucks (Shikamaru's catch phrase – which I've sorta turned into a Nara Family catch phrase)  
>Usagi – harerabbit  
>Wakatta – I understandunderstood  
>Yamaguchi – Japanese surname meaning mountain mouth (and while I doubt it means that one's mouth is as big as a mountain, I thought it a fitting last name for Jiraiya since he does have a rather big mouth that gets him in lots of trouble)<p>

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _For those of you who are familiar with Tenzou/Yamato's background story, you will note that I've strayed very far from canon; which I warned you I would. The reason for that is two-fold; when I first wrote this story, Tenzou/Yamato's background (outside of the fact that he was a survivor of Orochimaru's experiments) had not yet been released and then Harry's presence is creating ripples that will affect a lot of things. So, please don't tell me that I made a mistake; I warned you in the first chapter that I would be playing fast and loose with canon in this story. _

_Some of you might be annoyed by all of the OC's that I mentioned in this chapter but for the most part, they won't really play all that big of a part in the overall story. Their presence was only necessary because I needed an older generation to still be in charge through the war and up to the starting point of the series. A couple of them will make a couple of appearances in later chapters but their parts will remain very minor. And just for the record, Torifu is a canon character; he was Danzou's teammate along with an Uchiha (can't recall the dude's name though). _

_Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the chapter... next update will be in roughly four days. ~ Jenn_


	4. The Guardian

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Four: The Guardian<span>

_December 17, 0283 AtD, 1:14 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Torifu walked into his office several minutes after he'd left the Hokage's office. He stood stock still in the center of the room for several minutes while he considered his assigned tasks from every possible angle. He then moved to his desk and sat down to start putting the plans he'd come up with into motion. Torifu started by writing out a coded message for Shoichi to deliver two of the ten storage scrolls holding the remains of the tree that had grown out of the underground lab to the AnBu Infirmary room that the boys shared later that night. A second coded message was then prepared for Furofuki; only this time he was asking for her to deliver the remains of two of the deceased children that were roughly the same age and size of the two boys.

Both messages were sealed with complex security seals that would destroy the missives if anyone but their intended recipients attempted to open them. Torifu then stepped out of his office and ordered the first masked AnBu Guard to cross his path to deliver the two scrolls immediately. Messages sent, Torifu spun around on heel and headed to the records storeroom where the true files for all current and past shinobi were kept; the public records that could be found in the Hokage's archive had been expunged of any classified or sensitive information to protect individual, clan, and village secrets.

He would spend close to three hours amidst the sealed cabinets that held the files for those shinobi that were twenty-two or older (the files organized by birthdate rather than by name in order to make it a little more difficult for spies or traitors to quickly find any information they hoped to steal). As he searched through the files, he ignored the files of those men and women that had made a name for themselves outside of Konoha and those who had been born into a clan. He also ignored the files of those that were known troublemakers or who had had their loyalty to the village questioned at some point in their past. The last of the files that he avoided were of those individuals that had at any point worked alone with Orochimaru.

At the end of those three hours, he would have pulled a grand total of three files.

Another hour would be spent pouring through all three files and comparing the information contained within the files to what he knew of the individuals in question. He then returned the files to their respective cabinets before he made his way back to his office as he contemplated which two individuals would make the most appropriate guardians for the two survivors. By the time he returned to his office, Torifu knew which two he would be contacting about taking in the two boys while leaving the third individual as a back-up in case one of his first two choices didn't pan out. The next step was to create a back story for both children and draw up the necessary paperwork and records.

When the documents were finished sometime later, the only information missing were the boys' names and birth dates and the signatures of their new guardians. Those things were unimportant at the moment though as it was time for him to start implementing his plans to fake the children's deaths. He took a moment to seal the newly created documents into two separate scrolls (one for each child) that he then sealed into the bottom drawer of his desk to protect them from theft and the casual eye while he was out of the room.

Torifu then left his office and headed down to the AnBu Barracks where he would spend an hour and a half cleaning up and preparing a pair of empty rooms for the children in an unused wing of the barracks on the lowest level. His reasoning for splitting up the children was the same as Sarutobi's reasons for ordering the children to be placed with two different guardians; to make it harder for someone to find both boys. Once both rooms had been prepared, Torifu activated the security seals that would prevent anyone aside from himself or those he brought with him from entering the rooms. The last thing he did before leaving that part of the building was to create a pair of Transportation Scrolls (one for each room) that he would use to transport the children into their new rooms without the risk of someone seeing them being moved.

That done, the masked Torifu made his way up to the private hospital room that held the two children whose lives and futures had been placed into his hands. It was time to make both children disappear.

Eighteen minutes later, Torifu stepped into the room and got his first up close look at the two children his subordinates had pulled from Orochimaru's secret laboratory just four days prior. The child that had been designated as test subject one-eighty-one had medium brown hair, dark eyes, and light skin. Over all, his appearance was average and forgettable; which would make it easy for the child to blend in with the other children his age. By comparison, test subject one-thirty-eight had black hair, leaf green eyes, and pale skin that was nearly white. And while his hair and skin color weren't that big of a deal, the child's eyes would give him away in a heartbeat since they were so riveting and unique.

He would have to do something about the kid's eyes before his new guardian took custody of him.

Both boys had turned to face him the moment he stepped into the room and while the dark eyed boy quickly lost interest in him, the green eyed boy continued to stare at him. If Torifu had been a lesser man, he might have felt unnerved by the unwavering stare. As it was, the intense stare only made the AnBu Commander more curious about the boy. Smiling behind his mask, Torifu dismissed the hidden AnBu in the room with a simple gesture before he crossed the room to stand directly beside the child's bed; those green eyes tracking him the entire way.

"Do I frighten you, child?" Torifu inquired when he noticed the boy subtly shifting away from him. The boy stopped moving and shook his head in denial as he tightened his hold on the tea cup he had clutched tightly in his hands.

"He thinks you're going to take his tea away," the other boy stated without looking up from the picture book he had spread across his lap.

"His tea…?" Torifu repeated with confusion as his eyes dropped down to the drink in question; an action that made the green eyed boy eye him distrustfully as he curled protectively over his cup.

"All of the adults keep taking his tea from him each time they check on us."

"I see," Torifu automatically replied even though he was still completely confused. He shook off his confusion a moment later and sat down in the chair beside the child's bed so that he was no longer looming over the child. He then simply watched the child watching him until the opening of the door drew the child's attention away from him.

"I brought you the samples that you requested, Kasai," Shoichi stated in his usual monotone as he stepped up beside the chair Torifu had claimed.

"Thank you for bringing them," Torifu replied as he accepted the scrolls that the younger man passed to him and ignored the two dozen Kikaichu that escaped from Shoichi's jacket to attach themselves to the two children.

"Was there anything else that you needed from me?"

"Not at the moment but I would appreciate it if you said nothing of this matter to anyone."

"I took the initiative to doctor the evidence files to insure that those samples will not be missed before I made my way here," Shoichi murmured before he tipped his head to one side as the Kikaichu he'd sent to study the children's chakra returned to him. The stoic man then stepped closer to Torifu as he suggested, "Based upon what I just learned from my Kikaichu, it is only logical that I advise you to find a way to find a way to mask the green-eyed child's chakra signature if you wish to hide the boy. Otherwise, the corrupted nature of the child's chakra will expose his identity to those who are capable of recognizing individual signatures."

Shoichi took his leave immediately after delivering his advice; a pair of green eyes following him out of the room before they cut back to Torifu the instant the door closed behind the Aburame. For the next several minutes, the only sound that filled the room was the soft shifting of fabric on fabric and the faint crackle of paper pages being turned. The staring contest between Torifu and the green eyed child resumed during that time and the man wondered what it was about his mask that fascinated the child so much. He also couldn't help but be impressed that the child hadn't grown bored yet since young children had notoriously short attention spans.

That thought had barely passed through his mind before the child in question abruptly turned away from him and focused his attention on the cup in his hands. Over the next twenty minutes, Torifu observed the silent child nurse the cup of cold tea in his hands. Each sip the child took was savored with utmost diligence and the forty-seven year old wondered just what it was about the tea that evoked that reaction in the child.

He didn't think it was the act of actually drinking, since he suspected that the child would have treated his soup in the same fashion and all of the reports he'd read since the boy had woken said the child always guzzled down his soup in record time. No, there was something about the tea itself that inspired the child to make each cup last as long as humanly possible but Torifu couldn't pinpoint what it could be since he knew so little about the child.

The silence was partially broken the moment the green eyed child drank the last bit of tea in his cup. The kid had let out a Nara worthy sigh that ended in a soft disappointed whine upon discovering he'd swallowed the very last drop. Torifu found himself needing to restrain the chuckle of amusement he felt building in his chest over the adorable picture the kid made pouting over the empty cup the way he was. He got the feeling that the boy wouldn't appreciate being laughed at.

"Do you want my tea?" the other boy asked as he looked up from his book once more. Green-Eyes (as Torifu silently dubbed the child) perked up as he glanced towards his fellow survivor and tipped his head to one side. "I'm not thirsty, so you can have it if you'd like."

The dark eyed boy then gave the wheeled table-tray that held his tea a push so that it rolled across the space between the two beds. The green eyed boy deftly traded his empty cup for the full cup on the table before sending the table back to the other child's bed. Torifu was then granted the privilege of hearing the green eyed boy speak for the first time as he shyly whispered a quiet, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," the dark eyed boy replied with a smile before he turned his attention back to his book.

Torifu was trying to decide whether or not he should ask the child a few questions while he appeared to be in a talkative mood (sure it was only one word but that still more than he'd said since he'd first woken up) when Furofuki arrived with the two bodies that he'd requested. The stately kunoichi (who was just a few years younger than Torifu) passed him the scroll containing the children's remains without a word; her eyes bouncing between both boys. The woman than took her leave after tersely agreeing to forget about the contents of the scroll she'd just passed to him.

Once she was gone, Torifu waited another half an hour before he stood up and immediately felt the eyes of both children on him once more. He spared the door a brief glance before he addressed both children in a low voice, "It is not safe for the two of you to stay in this room any longer; too many people know that you are here and any one of them might tell Orochimaru where to find you."

The response to his words was immediate and Torifu felt a brief twinge of regret for manipulating the children but he quickly crushed it. He needed a reason for moving them out of the room they had been in since they were pulled out of the lab and he needed subject one-thirty-eight angry or frightened enough to activate his Kekkei Genkai. Torifu wasn't disappointed; Green-Eyes soundlessly snarled the moment Orochimaru's name had passed through Torifu's lips while at the same time, the temperature in the room rapidly sank to below freezing as ice formed over the child's bed.

Moving around the beds as a small forest of ice spikes began forming, Torifu prepped one of the transportation scrolls as he approached the dark eyed child and instructed, "I need you to stay calm, child; I am going to transport you to another room where you will be safe. I will come to check on you after I move your friend to another room and clean up things in here."

The child offered no resistance and a brief pulse of chakra saw him vanishing in a puff of smoke. Torifu then returned his attention to the other child and noted that there were thick branches now growing amidst the icy spires that had sprung up around the other child. A grim smile briefly crossed his face over the fact that his plan was working perfectly so far; he just had to calm the kid down and move him out of the room now so that he could finish staging the boys' deaths.

Maneuvering through growing mess took some fancy footwork to avoid being skewered by the ice or wrapped up in the growing branches but Torifu eventually managed to reach the bed. He then reached out and grabbed hold of the child's chin in order to get his attention. Both ice and wood froze the moment those green eyes locked on his and Torifu gave a mental sigh of relief that he hadn't needed to knock the kid out in order to move him.

"I understand that you are angry and scared but I need for you to calm down. We are not going to allow Orochimaru to take you again. Right now, I need you to be brave so that I can move you into a different room where you will be safe. Can you do that for me?" The boy stared at him for a long minute before he slowly nodded his head. "Thank you; I will come to check on you in a little bit after I clean up here."

Torifu prepped the second transportation scroll at that point and soon sent the boy out of the room with another small puff of smoke. The AnBu Commander then unsealed the bodies that Furofuki had delivered to him, doctored the corpses with seals so that they vaguely resembled the two survivors, and positioned them in the now empty beds. Another eight minutes was spent shifting the ice around so that it looked like it had been subject one-thirty-eight's Kekkei Genkai that killed both children. Once that had been done, he opened up the two scrolls containing the rotting remains of the twisted tree and artfully arranged them about the room.

Over all, the room looked eerily similar to the room in which the green-eyed child had been found – minus the broken ceiling and fifty foot tall tree that had destroyed said ceiling. Hopefully, it would be enough to convince most people that the two children had died tonight. He knew there would be a small number of individuals that suspected this was a cover up (not counting his two accomplices) but he didn't need to worry about them because by the time they figured out who had staged the deaths, the children would be safely in the care of their new guardians if everything proceeded as planned.

Stage set, Torifu stepped outside of the room and passed a slip of paper to the masked guards that had been hovering around the door since he kicked them out of the room earlier. He then headed towards his office so that he could be in place when the alarm was raised; pausing only once to create a pair of earth clones that would keep an eye on the two children for the time being. Once seated behind his desk, Torifu began drafting the needed seals to change Green-Eyes' appearance, block Orochimaru's name as a trigger for the child's anger to prevent him from drawing attention to himself with the uncontrolled use of the Hyouton, and mask the child's chakra signature.

After a brief internal debate, he also made similar seals for the other boy just to be safe.

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><p><em>December 20, 0283 AtD, 2:29 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Subject one-thirty-eight was only half finished with the cup of tea that had come with his lunch when a trio of adults suddenly appeared in his room in a large puff of smoke. The three and a half year old scowled and quickly covered the top of his cup with one small hand while he eyed the three adults warily; he rarely ever had visitors at this time of day and when he did, they usually took away his tea. Like when the masked man had come and done something to him to change the color of his hair to a dark red and the color of his eyes to a deep blue the previous day.

As soon as the smoke cleared the boy easily recognized the blonde lady and the masked man; both of them frequent visitors to his room. The other man with the two familiar faces was a complete stranger though and number one-thirty-eight took a moment to study him. The man had dark slate gray hair that was pulled back into a short pony tail, thick eyebrows, dark eyes, and more than a few wrinkles. He was dressed in a mesh armor shirt, a long brown tunic-vest secured with an olive green sash, a pair of black pants with bandages wrapped around his lower legs, and black sandals with thin straps that left most of his feet bare.

"Child, this is your new guardian; Maruboshi Kosuke," the masked man stated as he gestured towards the unfamiliar man the moment that one-thirty-eight had finished his inspection of the stranger. "You will be leaving with him today."

One-thirty-eight wasn't certain what to think or feel as he glanced between the masked man and the man that was supposed to be his guardian. He hadn't really thought that he'd be living anywhere other than the new room that the masked man had sent him to three days earlier either.

"Hello, young man," Kosuke greeted kindly as he gave a polite half bow to the child while subject one-thirty-eight just stared at him in return.

"I will leave the two of you to get to know one another," the masked man interjected into the awkward silence that filled the room at that point. "I'll return in about two hours with a Transportation Scroll to send you on your way."

One-thirty-eight turned to watch the masked man leave in a puff of smoke before he refocused on his new guardian once more; the child completely ignoring the woman. Kosuke crossed the short distance that separated the two of them at that point and sat down in the chair situated beside one-thirty-eight's bed.

"You are much smaller and younger than I was led to believe," Kosuke stated with a nervous smile and the child had an urge to tell the man that he looked far too old to be a guardian but held his tongue. "You are also much quieter than most children I have met."

"That is an understatement. The gaki hasn't said a single word in my presence and I'm beginning to suspect that Kasai only dreamed he heard him say anything the other night," the woman groused as she stepped up to the bed and reached out towards one-thirty-eight with glowing green hands so she could scan him one last time.

"Maybe he just gets tongue-tied around beautiful young ladies."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, old man."

"Can't blame a man for trying," Kosuke countered with a soft laugh before he leaned around the woman to ask one-thirty-eight a question. "Do you have a name, young man?" One-thirty-eight shook his head no and near scowled at the man; he was growing weary of the adults asking him each time he met a new one. "Would you like to have a name?"

That question caught the child off guard; no one else had asked him if he wanted a name. His little brow furrowed in confusion as he wondered whether or not he wanted a name. He couldn't help but wonder what good it would do to have a name when he had a number before he froze as he recalled the fact that it had been Orochimaru that had given him a number instead of a name. The last thing he wanted was anything that _that_ man had given him.

Stormy eyes then glanced up to meet his guardian's dark eyes before he timidly replied, "Yes, please."

The sound of his voice immediately caused the blonde woman to jerk back in shock while his guardian simply nodded in response to the answer before he asked, "Is there a particular name that you'd like to have?" That question would receive a negative response as one-thirty-eight had no idea what he would like to be called. "Would you like me to help you pick out a name?"

A tentative nod was given that time and Kosuke smiled warmly before he gave a thoughtful hum as he closely inspected subject one-thirty-eight. After a few minutes, the man began listing off several popular names but one-thirty-eight didn't care for any of those more common names. The woman had grouchily tried to convince Kosuke to name the boy gaki but the man had only laughed and shook his head; something for which said boy was grateful.

After rejecting more than thirty names, Kosuke asked, "Since you don't seem fond of the usual names; what is your favorite animal?"

"Tigers," the boy replied after a moment's consideration; the pictures he had seen of the large cats in the books that the masked man had given to him look through when he was bored had been impressive.

"You are too small to be a tiger but you are just the right size to be a tiger's cub," Kosuke mused thoughtfully as he studied the child once again. "Yes, I believe that Kojimaru would be a very fitting name for someone that will grow up to be a fierce shinobi. What do you think, young man?"

"It is different," the child carefully replied as he silently repeated the name several times. "I like it."

"Then Kojimaru shall be your name from this day forward," Kosuke confirmed with a proud smile and one-thirty-eight felt the same comforting curl of warmth thread through him that he usually only felt when he was drinking tea. "So, Kojimaru-kun, what else do you like besides tigers?"

The newly named Kojimaru blinked a few times in response to being addressed by his new name for the first time before he shyly answered, "Tea."

"I am rather fond of tea myself; especially on cold nights. I also enjoy a nice spot of stew or a plate of taiyaki to go with it. Do you have a favorite kind of food that you like to have with your tea?"

Kojimaru just shrugged; he couldn't recall ever eating anything but soup and while the soup he'd been given tasted good, he didn't think he liked it enough to call it his favorite. A broken memory of a warm treat filled with chunks of chocolate and peanuts flitted through his mind for a single heartbeat but it was gone before he could register it completely.

"He hasn't exactly had a chance to sample any solid food since he woke up and prior to that he spent a minimum of two years hooked up to a PICC Line and sustained by TPN Nutrition. I doubt the gaki even remembers what it is like to eat solid food."

"Well, it is a good think that I like to cook then, ne? It will be a treat to cook something different for each meal until we learn his likes and dislikes together while I teach him how to wield a proper ladle."

"He's a little young to be wielding ladles or knives, Maruboshi-san," the woman dryly pointed out. "I also recommend that you proceed with caution in regards to his diet; I am uncertain how his body will handle solid foods. He hasn't had any problems adjusting to an all liquid diet but there is no guarantee that the same thing would be true if he were to eat anything too heavy. I'd stick to bland foods for a little while as well for the same reason."

"I shall keep that in mind when planning out his meals. As for wielding ladles and knives, he is old enough to start learning how to cook and he will be properly supervised. Though, I am curious to know exactly how old my ward is. Do you know when your birthday is, Kojimaru-kun?"

Kojimaru frowned as his eyes grew unfocused when he turned his thoughts inwards in response to the question. Little snippets of memories assaulted him, teasing him with a life he no longer remembered; a flash of long red hair, a bare glimpse of a large black dog stealing a cake, the brief sound of a deep laugh, and a mere whisper of a song whose words no longer made sense to him. He also had a brief image of a calendar with a bright red circle around the very last day.

When he finally came back to himself, the half filled cup of tea he'd been holding slipped out of his limp hands as Kojimaru was filled with a deep aching emptiness as the tears he didn't know he was crying froze into tiny crystals the moment they left his eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Kojimaru-kun?" Kosuke inquired with some concern.

The child gave a single jerky nod that morphed into a slow head shake; those broken shards of his past confused him far too much for him to understand what they meant. After a moment he scrubbed his face clear of the frozen tears drops and mournfully stared at the spreading tea stain on his blankets before he finally answered the original question he'd been asked, "July thirty-first."

"I beg your pardon?" the woman asked in confusion as she finished scanning him.

"My birthday is on July thirty-first," Kojimaru clarified with a sniff before he abruptly turned away from both adults and curled up beneath his covers.

"Well that was unexpected," the woman muttered before she let out a long sigh. "I am finished here; your new ward is physically fine. Mentally, well, only time will tell. I will leave a copy of the child's medical file with Kasai when I leave so that you will have it in the event that any problems crop up at a later point. Kasai also has several scrolls that were collected from my grandfather's library that the boy will need when he is ready to start his training his stolen Mokuton. I do not know if Kasai will have anything to help with the other half of the problem but you can always ask him."

"Thank you, Tsunade-hime."

Two heartbeats later, Kojimaru heard the soft pop of sound that always heralded the arrival and departure of his visitors alongside the puff of cloying smoke. He thought maybe that he was all alone in his room now until the sound of muffled humming reached his ears. It wasn't until he heard the shrill whistle of a tea kettle sounding that he drudged up enough curiosity to sit up and poke his head free of his blankets. He was a little stunned to find Kosuke preparing a pot of tea on a fire that was contained in an old coffee can in the middle of the room.

"Would you prefer green tea or orange tea, Kojimaru-kun?"

"Orange…?" Kojimaru half asked as he crawled out from the under the covers completely and moved to the edge of the bed so that he could better see what his new guardian was up to.

"Is orange tea your favorite then?"

"I don't know."

"Ah, would still like to try the orange tea or did you want green tea instead?"

"Orange," Kojimaru repeated more firmly; the idea that there were different kinds of tea appealing to him.

"Very well, it will only take a few minutes to steep the tea leaves. While we are waiting for the tea, would you like me to help you out of the hospital pajamas that you are wearing so that you can get dressed?"

Kojimaru waited until the man looked up in his direction before he shrugged his shoulders to indicate that it didn't matter to him. His guardian let out a soft chuckle before he rose to his feet, moved up beside the bed, and gently helped the three and a half year old strip out of his clothes. The man then pulled out a small scroll like the one that the masked man had used to move him into his new room from a pocket on the inside of his tunic-vest.

Kojimaru flinched a bit when Kosuke bite his thumb hard enough to draw blood (the coppery scent stirring his darker memories) before he leaned closer out of curiosity when the man wiped his bloody digit across one of the symbols on the open scroll. To the child's surprise, a burst of smoke escaped from the paper and when it cleared, there was a small pile of clothes and a pair of blue sandals sitting on top of the scroll.

"Where did the clothes come from?" Kojimaru asked as Kosuke picked up the brown pants and helped him put them on his legs over the plain white underwear he was still wearing.

"Kasai-sama bought them for you so that you would have something to wear when we left."

"How did they get here?"

"They were stored inside the scroll so that they would be easy to carry."

"How did fit in there?"

"Do you see the symbols on the paper? Those are a special type of seal called Storage Seals and when you channel a bit of chakra into the seals, it allows you to lock items into the seal. To get those items back, you just have to channel more chakra into the seals. Some seals also require a bit of blood to activate them; like this scroll did."

"Why?"

"Blood Seals add a level of security to a seal that protects a seal from being used or opened by just anyone. Blood is also very powerful and sacrificing a bit of blood means that you need less chakra to open or activate a seal."

"Oh. Doesn't it hurt to bite your finger?"

"It used to; I've bitten my thumbs so many times that I don't really feel it anymore though."

"Are you going to bite my fingers?"

"No, I am not going to bite your fingers."

"Are you going to make me bite my fingers?"

"No, I will not make you bite your own fingers," Kosuke assured him as he pulled the dark brown shirt down over Kojimaru's head before he helped Kojimaru sit back down so he could slip the sandals onto his feet. "However, if you wish to use seals when you get older, then you will need to knick your fingers in order to provide the blood for those seals that need them. No one is going to force you to use those types of seals though."

"Oh. Okay. Is the tea ready?"

"It should be," Kosuke answered with another soft laugh as he reached out and ruffled Kojimaru's hair.

Kojimaru cringed at the touch before he froze in place as he tried to figure out exactly what the man had just done to him. It hadn't hurt but at the same time it had felt rather weird. He soon forgot all about the oddness of the touch when the man returned with two cups of tea and sat down on the bed beside the three year old. Three seconds later, Kojimaru had a warm cup of tea cradled in his hands once more. Lifting the cup up to his face, Kojimaru sniffed at the steam for a moment before he took a very careful sip of the tea.

He was more than a little surprised that it tasted so different than the tea he was usually given; it had a more earthy taste with just a hint of spice. It was a bit bitter too but not enough to ruin the rest of the flavor. The orange tea also didn't fill him with the same comforting warmth that the other tea had but at the same time he quite liked the way it tasted. He would still end up nursing that cup of tea for the duration of his time in that small room while he listened to Kosuke talk about himself and the village where they would be living. Occasionally, he would answer a few of the questions that his guardian directed towards him as well but mostly he just listened because he'd grown tired of talking.

The two hours given to them by the masked man, whom he learned was the Kasai person that Kosuke kept mentioning, passed by very quickly and before Kojimaru knew it Kasai was poofing back into the room. All of the nervousness that Kojimaru had felt when his unexpected visitors first appeared two hours earlier returned two-fold at that point. The idea that he would be leaving the safety of the little room he'd been kept in for the past three days scared him. He couldn't help but remember the pain he had felt for so long.

"Are you still willing to accept guardianship?" Kasai inquired the moment the smoke from his arrival cleared.

"Hai."

"I suspected as much based upon what Tsunade reported to me but I needed to be certain," Kasai replied with a nod as he handed several scrolls to Kosuke. "The red scroll will deliver the two of you to a secluded clearing just off of the road two days travel from the village. The clearing has been secured for your protection. The yellow scroll contains the back story that was created to validate your guardianship, a signed document from the Hokage authorizing you to be out of the village, all of the documents you will need to get your ward into the village without any hassles once you return, and a modest sum of money to off-set the cost of feeding and clothing the child for the next five years."

"The white scroll holds enough supplies to last for two weeks. I also took the liberty of collecting your usual equipment from your home and made certain to activate the various array of security seals you placed around the house and gardens when I was finished. Two AnBu Guards will be shadowing you until you reach the village gates to insure that nothing happens to the child. And lastly, the blue, brown, and green scrolls contain a collection of jutsu scrolls from the Senju Clan and AnBu Archives; dark blue for suiton, light blue for fuuton, brown for doton, and green for the Mokuton. At this time we do not currently have any scrolls on the Hyouton but Jiraiya has promised to look into that during his travels."

Kasai paused for a moment before he asked, "Do either of you have any questions? No? Then good luck and safe journey to you both."

Kasai left right after that and Kosuke stood up and tucked away the handful of scrolls he'd been given before he turned to Kojimaru and instructed, "Please hurry up and finish your tea while I pack up my things, Kojimaru-kun."

Kojimaru pouted over the order to rush through the last of his tea; it was hard to taste the tea if you just gulped it right down. At least he'd been allowed to savor most of the cup he'd been given. The possibility that his new guardian might make him more tea at some point helped mollify the three year old as he reluctantly complied with the order. As soon as he swallowed the last drop, the cup he'd been using was sealed into a scroll with the other stuff Kosuke had used to make the tea. The man then lifted Kojimaru off of the bed and carried him to the toilet that sat on the far side of the room so that he could empty his bladder before they left.

Twenty minutes later, Kojimaru found himself out in the middle of a forest for the second time in his life. And just like the first time that he'd ended up surrounded by towering trees, the child once known as Harry Potter would find his world turned upside down as the rules of his life once again changed.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Doton – earth  
>Fuuton – wind<br>Gaki – brat  
>Hai – yes<br>Hyouton – ice  
>Kojimaru – koji (tiger cub) + maru (a suffix often added to boys' names)<br>Mokuton – wood  
>Suiton – water<p>

**Medical Terms:**

PICC – Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter  
>TPN (TPN Nutrition) – Total Parenteral Nutrition (liquid nutrients administered via PICC line)<p>

**Notes: **

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _He SPEAKS! lol Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm pretty certain there were a few of you wondering if I was ever going to have Harry/Kojimaru actually talk in this story. And for those of you who did not recognize who Kosuke is right off the top of your heads; he is Konoha's Eternal Genin and I believe he is somewhere around Sarutobi's age; only a few years younger. __I know he has served under all of the Hokages at least. _

_Anyway, I know I was supposed to update Bug Boy today but I didn't quite finish polishing up the last half of the chapter and so decided to hold onto it a bit longer. And I didn't want to not post on one of my Naruto crossovers today, so you get this chapter instead. On the plus side, I will update this story AND Bug Boy tomorrow so you'll get an extra chapter out of the deal. =) ~ Jenn  
><em>


	5. The Homecoming

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Five: The Homecoming<span>

_December 20, 0283 AtD, 5:03 PM  
>Outside of Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru was snapped out of his mild panic attack (due to finding himself in the forest once more) the moment his feet touched the ground. He turned his face upwards to stare at his new guardian with wide, artificial blue eyes as the temperature of the clearing they were in dropped several degrees.

"I believe it would be best to camp here for a while," Kosuke stated as he looked down to meet the child's intense and frightened gaze. "Would you like to help me set up our camp and start supper?"

The three and a half year old gave a tentative nod and his guardian smiled at him and ruffled his hair again. Kojimaru's little hands immediately flew up to protect his hair, garnering a laugh from the man. He slowly lowered his hands again a moment later when he was given his first task; clear away the leaves inside of a circle that Kosuke drew on the ground with his foot. Plopping himself on the ground beside the circle, Kojimaru reached out to push away the leaves only to stop when his hands came into contact with the dead leaves.

The top layer of leaves was dry, like paper, and crackled beneath his hands as he rested part of his weight on them. The layer directly under the dry leaves was cool to the touch and slightly damp. And the very bottom layer was very moist and crumbling. Fascinated by the different textures, Kojimaru forgot all about clearing away the leaves and simply flopped down on his belly and dug his fingers deeply into the layer of natural compost. He even buried his nose in a pile of leaves at one point and breathed in deeply; the scent of earth and decaying plants heady and new.

By the time his guardian came to check on his progress some fifteen minutes later, Kojimaru was covered from head to toe in decaying leaves and dirt; his face flushed with excitement and his eyes sparkling with life for the first time in over two years. The moment he remembered that he was supposed to be clearing away the leaves and not playing in them, Kojimaru froze in fear as he stared up at his guardian. What happened next would have a large impact on Kojimaru's future and on his relationship with his guardian.

Instead of getting angry at him for playing, Kosuke merely laughed heartily as he knelt down to brush the dirt and leaves off of the child's face. The man then encouraged Kojimaru to help him clear the ground; piling the leaves off to one side well away from what was to be the fire pit. Kosuke then gave the three year old permission to play in the pile of leaves (which ended up fairly large due to Kosuke raking up loads of extra leaves). Kojimaru's laughter would fill the clearing for nearly an hour as he gleefully dove into the leaf pile and swam through the leaves.

Unbeknownst to the happy child, all of the adults that were watching over him were extremely pleased to see him acting his age for once. The fact that he was openly laughing and giggling as he played was just a bonus.

It was with great reluctance that Kojimaru abandoned his pile of rotting leaves when Kosuke announced that supper was ready towards the end of that hour. He barely sat still long enough for the man to brush the majority of the dirt and debris from his clothes before washing his hands and face with warm water that had been heated by the campfire. The three year old would settle right down the moment his guardian passed him a cup of tea though and it was like he was a completely different child.

That night would also mark the first solid meal that Kojimaru had eaten in over two years. It wasn't much of a meal, just two ounces of extra moist rice and a small bowl of thick broth that had not been watered down like the soup he'd been served since he'd first woken up in the white room. Kojimaru would end up falling asleep shortly after finishing his rice; the hour of play in combination with the full feeling in his stomach from the filling meal sending him into Morpheus's arms before he could finish his tea that night.

Kojimaru felt more than a little disoriented when he woke up snuggled up inside of a sleeping bag beneath a canopy of green leaves the next morning. The memory of the previous day would return in a rush the moment a smiling Kosuke greeted him with a warm hello and a fresh cup of tea. A simple breakfast of fruit (mostly made up of fresh banana and pear slices) was passed to him next. After he finished eating, he was urged to finish his tea and any protests he might have made died when he was told that they would be spending the day exploring the forest and searching for wild mushrooms.

As the two of them tramped through the undergrowth, Kosuke took the time to name each of the plants they encountered; taking special care to point out the ones that were edible, the ones that had healing properties, and the ones that were poisonous. Kosuke also patiently taught him how to harvest the different parts of the various plants without killing the entire plant. The lessons were rather repetitive but the subject was interesting enough that Kojimaru's attention never wavered during the short lectures; even if it would take a while for those lessons to stick.

It helped that Kosuke gave Kojimaru plenty of breaks in between lessons to prevent him from growing bored. The fact that his merged chakra and magic was so nature oriented (influenced heavily by his magic and the Mokuton) didn't hurt either. Additionally, the more time he spent in the forest beneath the trees, the more attuned he grew to the trees as the Mokuton inside of him sought to connect to the living trees around him. Kojimaru had no idea what was happening to him though, he just knew that the longer they stayed in the forest, the more comfortable he felt and the less frightened he was of the shadows beneath the trees.

The two of them would end up staying in the warded clearing for seven days. Each day, the two of them spent hunting through the forest for a specific type of plant, moss, or fungus while their unseen shadows watched over them from the trees above. In between collecting the required items and numerous lessons on plant lore, Kojimaru was taught how to jump over small obstacles, climb up trees, and move through the forest without leaving a trail. He was also encouraged to chase after bugs, splash in puddles, and sneak up on the harmless wildlife they crossed paths with; the latter strangely easy for the boy since most animals were actually drawn to him.

Kojimaru would grow stronger every day; the fresh air and exercise doing his body and his mind a world of good. The adjustments to his diet also helped; his body finally getting a chance to function the way it was meant to without any outside interference. The only two things that remained unchanged were the long periods of time where he just didn't feel like talking and his tendency to make a single cup of tea last for hours. Kosuke quickly discovered that the best way to avoid losing half the morning waiting for him to finish his tea, was to fill a bamboo canteen with tea and let Kojimaru to carry his tea with him. The offer of a new tea flavor also quickly became an incentive to gain the child's cooperation when the boy's stubbornness reared its head.

After spending hours searching and playing beneath the trees, the evenings would be spent in lessons of a different sort as Kosuke taught him how to read and write, told him fables and fairy tales, and started teaching him how to cook. And while he might be a little young to use a knife or work near the fire, Kojimaru was more than capable of measuring out spices and herbs, gathering sticks and small branches for the fire, and rinsing the wild fruits and vegetables that they gathered during the day.

The most important lessons during those evenings, from a shinobi's viewpoint, were the ones that desensitized the three year old to the sight and scent of blood and death and the ones on maintaining control of his emotions; specifically his anger. While most children were allowed to choose whether or not they would attend the academy so they could take up a hitai-ate and kunai in defense of the village, Kojimaru (and his fellow survivor) wasn't going to have a choice. His choice had been made for him the moment Orochimaru had performed that first operation.

There were many civilians and at least a few shinobi that would be abhorred by the mere thought of forcing a child down the path of a shinobi but Kojimaru's life would depend upon him growing strong enough to protect himself. Too many people would seek to use him as a weapon or cut him open to see what made him tick the instant they suspected that he had not been born with either one of the two Kekkei Genkai that he possessed. Orochimaru, most especially, would stop at nothing to reclaim Kojimaru and the other boy if he learned that either child had survived; both for the power they held and for what they represented as the only known living carriers of implanted Kekkei Genkai (not counting stolen eyes that carried doujutsu).

It was also far safer for the entire village if Kojimaru learned how to control both of his Kekkei Genkai due to how volatile his Hyouton tended to be (the boy's emotions unfailingly drawing upon that ability first) and the amount of damage that the Mokuton could potentially do if it escaped his control. The same would hold true in the event that the other boy activated his dormant Mokuton at any point in the future.

That was one of the reasons why both boys had been placed with guardians that had been selected from the ranks of active shinobi; to insure that they were properly prepared for the life they would be expected to live the moment they earned their hitai-ate. And while Kosuke was not a Jounin, the man was exceptionally skilled and he had been trained by all three of Konoha's Hokage at some point in his life and trained with a number of other well known individuals that had gone on to make a name for themselves.

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><p><em>December 29, 0283 AtD, 9:53 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru stumbled as he caught sight of the huge wall rising above the trees; the only thing that prevented him from falling over was the hold his guardian had on his hand. The three year old was torn between awe and fear as he stared at the enormous construct.

"So, what is your first impression of Konoha, Kojimaru?" Kosuke inquired as the wall continued to rise into the sky as they walked closer to the village gates.

"So big," Kojimaru whispered without taking his eyes off of the walls.

"Yes, the outer wall is quite big; it was designed that way to protect the village from attacks."

"Attacks…?" Kojimaru asked worriedly as he pulled his eyes from the still growing wall to stare up at his guardian.

"There is no need to worry, Kojimaru-kun; there are shinobi that patrol the walls around the clock to guard the village against such attacks; rare as they are."

"Oh," Kojimaru murmured as he returned his attention to the wall.

Just a few minutes later, the village gates came into view and this time Kojimaru froze in his tracks as his eyes fell upon the large throng of people moving back and forth just on the other side of the open gate. He'd never before seen so many people all in once place. In fact, he hadn't even known that it was possible for so many people to exist; his entire life up to this point had been lived in near complete seclusion. Any awe he might have felt for his first glimpse of a real village was washed away in fear over the presence of so many strangers. Kojimaru didn't even feel his guardian sweep him up into his arms at that point.

"What is wrong, Kojimaru?"

"Why are there so many people? Where did they all come from?"

"They live here; Konohagakure is one of the five largest hidden villages within the Elemental Nations. It is also the tenth largest village within all of Hi no Kuni."

Kojimaru automatically curled into Kosuke's arms in search of comfort over the knowledge that so many people lived in the village that his guardian said would be his home for now on. He hadn't completely forgotten the faceless people that had hurt him while he was trapped in the dark room even if their blurred memories didn't stir his anger. The three year old's attention was drawn away from the crowd of people going about their business when he heard a voice address his guardian. Turning, he caught sight of a man wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt, dark blue pants, a padded green vest, and a dark blue headband with a metal plate on it tied around his forehead.

"Hey, Kosuke, who have you got there? It's not like you to pick up strays when you leave the village."

"This is my godson, Kojimaru. I was called to Kisaragi no Sato to collect him after his parents were killed by bandits just a few weeks ago," Kosuke explained as he passed over the packet containing the identification papers and custodial paperwork that Kasai had forged for the child.

"My condolences; were you close to his parents?"

"Not exactly, they were old clients that I had escorted between villages a time or two. I did not even know that they had named me their son's godfather until I received notice of the couple's death back on the twentieth. The mayor of the village believed that the child would have a better chance at a decent life if he was raised here in Konoha since Kisaragi is frequently plagued by bandits. The other villagers also felt no obligation to take him in due to the fact that neither he nor his parents had been born in the village."

"That's kind of sad but he will have a better life here. Are you going to enroll him in the Academy?"

"Yes, he is a bright child with excellent hand and eye coordination. His chakra reserves are also above average for a child his age."

"Well, good luck," Takeshi replied as he passed the paperwork back to Kosuke after he'd taken the time to make certain everything was in order. "My sister claims that all children are little monsters and my nieces and nephews have only shown me proof that her claims were true each time she's asked me to look after them for her."

Both adults laughed while Kojimaru scowled at the implication that he was a monster. He soon forgot about the insult as Kosuke carried him away from the gate and deeper into the village and within just a few steps, the two of them were swallowed by the crowd. Kojimaru whimpered and buried his face against Kosuke's shoulder.

"You don't have to be afraid of the crowd, Kojimaru; I will not let anyone harm you or allow anyone to take you away from me. You are going to have to get used to being around large crowds eventually, so you might as well sit up and get a good look at your new home."

Kojimaru reluctantly complied; lifting his head and letting his eyes take in the various buildings and stalls that lined the street they were on instead of just focusing on the faces of the people moving all around the pair. It didn't take long for his eyes to be drawn to the three large faces that were carved into the mountain straight ahead of them and Kojimaru started when he recognized the one on the very end. He opened his mouth to ask his guardian why the faces were on the mountain and who the third man was but closed it a heartbeat later as he caught sight of the crowd once more out of the corner of his eye.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the two of them approached what Kojimaru would learn was the most important building in the entire village. The Hokage's Tower was made up of three circular buildings that were connected together and surrounded by a smaller version of the great wall that protected the village. The smaller two buildings bracketed the center building and had trees growing out of the roofs. And while the tower wasn't the tallest building in the village, it was by far the most intimidating building.

There was an unmistakable presence to the red walls that Kojimaru could feel even before they passed through the gate in the protective wall.

As his guardian carried him up the stairs that ran around the outside of the main building, Kojimaru angled his head back to catch one last glimpse of the three faces that were carved on the cliff-side above the tower. Once they were inside, they traversed the hallway that ran along the outermost wall of the building until they reached a set of double doors that had a desk set up outside of it. Seated behind the desk, there was a man wearing the same uniform as the guard at the gate; only he wore a bandana over his head with the same metal plate instead of a headband.

The man looked up as the pair approached the door and instructed, "Please state your name and business."

"Maruboshi Kosuke, I am here to petition for citizenship and enrollment into the Academy on behalf of my godson."

"What is your godson's name and age?"

"His name is Kojimaru and he is currently three and a half."

"Thank you; please wait here while I see if the Hokage has time to see you before his next appointment," the man stated as he put away his scroll and stood up.

As the man passed through the door, Kojimaru caught just the briefest glimpse of the room beyond before the door swung shut. It was just enough of a look for him to know that the room beyond was large and open. The room was soon forgotten though when a pair of teens dressed differently than the gate guard and the desk man walked passed where the boy and his guardian were waiting and his eyes followed them out of curiosity. Just before they disappeared around the curve of the hallway, the teen with dark hair that had been swept up into a spiky ponytail turned back around and met Kojimaru's eyes with intense dark eyes.

The teen paused in mid-step and half turned back towards them as he lifted one arm and lazily waved at Kojimaru and Kojimaru automatically returned the gesture without even realizing what he was doing. The teen smiled brightly at him in response before he turned away and hurried after his red-headed companion who had not stopped walking. Kojimaru was about to ask his guardian just who that teen was when the door opened and the man from the desk stepped back out into the hallway while holding the door open.

"The Sandaime will see you now, Maruboshi-san."

"Arigatou," Kosuke murmured as he walked through the open door.

"Ohayou, Kosuke; this is a pleasant surprise. I was not aware that you had a godson. Is this him? He is such a little thing; I can still remember when my sons were that small."

The familiar voice drew Kojimaru's attention to the old man seated behind the desk before he could fully examine the room. The old man looked much the same as he had the first time that the three year old had seen him; white hair, white beard, and lots of wrinkles. He was even wearing the same red robes and long white jacket.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama. And yes, this is my godson Kojimaru. Kojimaru-kun, this is the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kojimaru-kun," the Hokage greeted as he smiled at Kojimaru. Kojimaru didn't say anything in reply though as he stared at the man in confusion; didn't the man remember him? "Not much of a talker, is he?"

"I think he's feeling a little overwhelmed; he's not used to seeing so many people in one place. He hasn't said a word since just after we passed through the villages gates. I'm sure he'll be talking a mile a minute the moment he feels comfortable once more."

"Nothing wrong with that, noisy children are always easier to keep track of," the Hokage countered with a grin. "It's the quiet ones you have to watch; they tend to sneak off and get into trouble every time you turn around." Both men shared a laugh over that which only confused Kojimaru even more. Once the laughter died, the Hokage stated, "My aide said you were petitioning for citizenship and enrollment in the Academy for the child. Is this correct?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama; his parents' dying wish was for me to take him in and the leader of the village where they had made their home felt the need to honor their wishes and sent for me shortly after their deaths. I have all of the required documentation here," Kosuke stated as he set Kojimaru down on his feet before he passed the packet of documents he was carrying over to the old man.

"Everything appears to be in order, I will have his identification papers written up and delivered to you by the end of the week. In the mean time, you'll need to keep him in the village until his papers are finished. As far as the Academy goes, there are no spaces available for the winter/spring term but I can put his name down for the summer/fall term. There are, of course, plenty of openings in the Civilian's Academy; if you wish for him to learn the basics before he is enrolled in the Shinobi Academy."

"That might be for the best; Kojimaru's educational opportunities were rather limited before I collected him."

"I will add his name to the list, then. The new term starts on the ninth of January and classes run from eight to two Monday through Saturday. Did you wish to extend your current leave of absence from duty while the child settles into his new home?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama; I'd like to have another week, at least, if it isn't a problem. That will give me more than enough time to make arrangements for someone to watch over Kojimaru during the afternoon and when I am out of the village on missions."

"I will give you until the ninth. After that, I will have you reassigned to morning guard duty on the wall until the summer term at the Academy begins; that will give you time to bond with your godson and allow him time to grow comfortable in the village before you are required to leave the village on missions."

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama."

"Did you need to apply for financial aide?"

"No; that won't be necessary. My godson's parents had left behind a modest sum of money and instructions for it to be used for Kojimaru's care as needed and I have my savings to fall back on, if necessary."

"Very well, was there anything else you needed?"

"No, that is everything."

"Then I will bid the two of you good day."

"Good day, Hokage-sama," Kosuke replied as he bowed to the Hokage before he scooped Kojimaru back up into his arms and retreated from the room.

Kojimaru stared at the old man over his guardian's shoulder until the door blocked his view. His eyes then wandered around the curved hallway as Kosuke headed for the exit. Just before they reached the door, Kojimaru's eyes caught a glimpse of his reflection in a passing window and he jumped a bit when he saw again the red hair and blue eyes. He had forgotten that the masked man had done something to hide his black hair and green eyes. The masked man had warned him that no one would be able to recognize him with his eyes and hair changed but Kojimaru hadn't really believed him at the time.

He briefly wondered if the changes were why the Hokage hadn't recognized him but soon forgot the matter entirely as his guardian moved back into the village proper and they were once again surrounded by a crowd of people. Kojimaru felt an urge to hide his face once again but was soon distracted from his discomfort when his guardian ran up the side of the nearest building. The toddler let out a squeal that was half excitement and half fear as he latched tightly onto Kosuke and stared down at the rapidly shrinking people. Just seconds later, the two of them were perched on the top of the build and Kojimaru could see almost the entire town spread out below him.

Kosuke gave him a minute to glance around before the man began jumping from roof to roof. Kojimaru soon began whooping gleefully as the wind whipped his hair around each time his guardian jumped. In that way, it didn't take long for the pair to cross the vast length of the village before they dropped back down to the ground. Kojimaru giggled breathlessly as his bright eyes lingered on the rooftops for a moment. He then turned his attention to the rather secluded neighborhood they'd landed in.

The first thing he noticed was the abundance of trees that were growing all around the handful of small houses that filled the quiet little street they were on. The second thing that he noticed was that the area felt much like the forest had felt; calm and peaceful. And the last thing he noticed was a similar presence to the one that he'd felt from the Hokage's Tower; only muted and far less intimidating. He would later learn that what he was sensing from various buildings were active security seals that had been carved and painted onto various buildings to protect them from intruders and would be thieves.

That would be about the same time that he (and by extension his guardian) learned that he was chakra sensitive; meaning that he could sense large concentrations of chakra. Being chakra sensitive was not to be confused with being a chakra sensor though; as while he could sense chakra on some level, he could not distinguish between different types of chakra or different chakra signatures. All that ability really allowed him to do was determine if a building or other object was layered in active seals or note the presence of individuals with larger than average chakra reserves.

Kosuke approached the house on the very end of the street and set Kojimaru down on his own two feet once more as he stated, "This is my home. It is rather on the small side but there is room enough for both of us and the property is large enough for you to run around in when you are not busy with lessons or practice. It is also securely warded, so you will not be able to leave the yard by yourself until you are old enough for me to key you into the seals. That also means that you do not have to be afraid of anyone attacking you while you are playing outside whether I am with you or not."

Kojimaru glanced up at Kosuke and nodded to show he had heard the man before he turned his eyes on the small house in front of them. The front yard was what could only be described as an ordered mess; there were two huge trees and all kinds of flowers, shrubs, and other plants growing out of the various planters and in dozens of clay pots that were scattered about. A few of the plants Kojimaru recognized as those that Kosuke had recently taught him could be eaten or used to make medicine. He would later learn that all of the plants that Kosuke grew on the property were useful in some way (even the poisonous ones).

Surrounding the front yard was a four foot whitewashed picket fence that disappeared around both sides of the house to enclose the back yard. To either side of the house was a pair of garden gates that separated the front yard from the back yard. In the front left corner of the front yard there was even a small peanut shaped pond filled with water plants and a dozen large white, orange, and black koi. A tasteful teak bridge spanned the width of the pond and led to a small secluded porch swing on the opposite side of the pond that couldn't be reached without crossing the bridge (or walking across the water).

The house itself was rather box-like in appearance and painted a faded yellow that contrasted nicely against the explosion of bright colors from the plants and flowers. There was a large porch that spanned the entire length of the house where even more potted plants were growing; some of them hung from the awning over the porch and others seated on iron pedestals so that they sat up off the ground. Each of the windows had a set of whitewashed shutters and a window planter filled with herbs or other small plants. And the roof was made from red ceramic shingles that had been bleached orange in places from the sunlight.

All in all, it looked like the house had been grown in the middle of the garden and the towering trees that bracketed the property on three of its four sides gave him the impression that the garden and the house were tucked away in the middle of a forest. Kojimaru immediately liked the place despite the fact that the concept of having a home was rather sketchy in his mind; his memories mostly filled with half remembered pain and darkness. Glancing up at his guardian, Kojimaru stated, "I like it. It feels safe and warm. Like the forest."

"I am glad to hear that, Kojimaru-kun. Come, let us go inside and get you cleaned up; you are still wearing half of the forest. Afterwards, I will show you where you will sleep and keep your things before we go purchase you a few changes of clothes. I will also need to buy groceries for the coming week."

Immediately following that statement, Kosuke bit his thumb to draw blood which he then smeared across the center of the gate that was set into the center of the white picket fence that surrounded the property. Kojimaru watched avidly as a complex array of symbols burst into being and spread out rapidly before they disappeared in a burst of smoke as Kosuke barked a crisp, "Kai."

"What was that?"

"That was the barrier seal that protects the property when I am not home."

"What does it do?"

"It zaps those who try to enter the property without my permission and if they try again, it paralyzes them so that they can not move. If they manage to break that barrier, there is one just inside of the house that will put them to sleep as soon as they enter the house."

"Will it hurt me?"

"No, I turned that barrier off just now so that you could pass through it without harm. And, if you ever do try to force your way into or out of the barrier, it will only sting a bit the first time while your next attempt would see it freezing all of your muscles so you would be stuck until the counter seal is applied but it will not actually cause you, or anyone else, permanent harm. I will key you into the inner house seals so that you can move between the house and the yard freely later tonight. I will not key you into the property seals until you are older though; since I do not wish for you to wander out of the yard alone when you are still too young to protect yourself. So long as you do not try to sneak out of the yard, you will not have to worry about the barriers in any case."

"Okay."

Once he had finished that short explanation, Kosuke led Kojimaru across the yard and up the small set of stairs leading to the front door where he spread more blood on the center of the door and on the door handle to unlock the door. After that, he spread yet more blood on the doorjamb in order to release the inner barrier. The man then kicked off his shoes, swept Kojimaru up into his arms once more, and helped him remove his shoes before he moved further into the house and closed the door behind him. The three year old was then carried through the house to the bathing room where he was instructed to strip out of his dirty clothes while Kosuke ran the hot water to fill up a pair of buckets with rinse water.

The bath and the tour of the house would take just under an hour before Kojimaru found himself back outside once more as Kosuke carried him to the market district. Kojimaru wasn't looking forward to the shopping that Kosuke said needed to be done but Kosuke had flat out refused to leave him home alone when he had complained about going back out into the village. Letting out a soft sigh, Kojimaru rested his head on Kosuke's shoulder and let his eyes trace the outlines of each building they passed in order to avoid seeing the people moving all around them.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Arigatou – Thank you  
>Hai – yes<br>Kai – release  
>Kisaragi no Sato – Kisaragi Village; appears in Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2. It is south of Konoha<br>Ohayou – good morning

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> __I know that this chapter was originally supposed to be up last Thursday but I had to deal with a minor plumbing emergency, get through a small bout of food poisoning, deal with the hullabaloo over Halloween, and catch up on a few other things. On top of that, I have to get my babies ready for their winter nap and give them their last meal of the year; so my updates may be a bit spotty for the next week or two. I will try not to go too long in between updates though; I really dislike disappearing for months at a time just as much as you dislike me not updating for months at a time. =)  
><em>_

__Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the interactions between Kojimaru and his new guardian and his reaction to seeing Konoha for the first time. I intend to post the next chapter tomorrow to make up for skipping an update last week; so keep your fingers crossed that nothing else comes up to mess up my plans! ~ Jenn__


	6. The Academy

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Six: The Academy<span>

_January 09, 0284 AtD, 7:46 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru stared up at the large brown and blue building that Kosuke had stopped in front of with more than a little trepidation. The large crowd of adults and children that were gathered outside of the building only increased his level of discomfort. As did the knowledge that Kosuke would not be staying with him.

"This way, Kojimaru," Kosuke instructed as he gently guided the three and a half year old towards a woman that was dressed in a pale blue dress and a light brown apron with a clipboard in hand.

"Hello and welcome to Konoha's Civilian Academy of Education and Enlightenment," the woman greeted warmly the moment the two of them approached her. "I will need your son's name and age in order to look up his classroom information."

"My godson's name is Kojimaru and he is three and a half," Kosuke corrected even as he answered the question. "He was registered for only a single term."

"Ah, yes; I have him listed in the pre-shinobi group in classroom twenty-three," the woman stated; her voice losing much of its warmth as a frown pulled the corners of her mouth down. "Does he have any food allergies that the staff will need to watch out for?"

"No, but I highly recommend that you not serve him any tea with his noon meals."

"Does he not like tea?" the woman asked in confusion as she glanced down at the now pouting Kojimaru.

"No, he is actually quite fond of tea. The problem is that he tends to draw out the drinking of said tea for hours at a time and he gets quite cranky if you attempt to take it away before he is finished or if you try to rush him. I normally allow him to carry a canteen of tea with him but I was unsure if he would be allowed to bring his canteen with him to class."

"The children are allowed to bring their own lunches and drinks so long as they do not bring any sweets; we've had to break up one too many fights over some favored treat and dealing with sixty plus children on sugar rushes is never fun."

"Ah, I see; thank you for that information."

"You're welcome," the woman replied before she abruptly turned away from Kosuke to greet the next family. "Hello and welcome to Konoha's Civilian Academy of…"

"Come, Kojimaru-kun," Kosuke instructed as he gently led the boy away from the woman.

Kojimaru dutifully followed his guardian up into the building. Once inside of the entrance lobby, Kosuke stopped for a brief moment to study a map that was on the wall before he led Kojimaru down the left hallway to a bright red door with the number twenty-three painted on it in black paint. His guardian then knocked on the door before he opened it and led Kojimaru inside.

The classroom was filled with two long tables that had twenty one chairs arranged around them; one at the head of each table and ten on each side. Taped to the back of roughly two-thirds of the chairs was a piece of paper with a name written on it. In front of those chairs with names on them, there was a workbook, a stack of scratch paper, several pencils, and an eraser. There were a small handful of other children already seated around both tables and all of them curiously glanced in Kojimaru's direction the moment he followed Kosuke through the door.

"Ohayou, I am Terasaki-sensei," a man dressed in brown pants, a blue shirt, and a hitai-ate tied around his left arm greeted from beside the chalkboard at the front of the room. He then gestured towards a man and woman dressed in similar outfits (minus the hitai-ate) that were standing beside the two tables and speaking with the parents of two other students as he introduced, "Over there are Okimoto-sensei and Shirota-sensei; we are the instructors for this term's pre-shinobi group."

"Ohayou, I am Kosuke and this is my godson Kojimaru."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. Kojimaru-kun, please take your seat; it is located towards the front on the left-hand side of Okimoto-sensei's table," Terasaki replied as he smiled down at Kojimaru. Kojimaru glanced up at his guardian who nodded at him and the child reluctantly released Kosuke's hand and gingerly crossed the room to find the chair with his name on it. Behind him, his teacher addressed his guardian once more, "Is this your godson's first time attending a formal school?"

"Yes."

"Did he receive any instruction at home?"

"Yes, I have been working with him on his reading and writing since I took custody of my godson. I have found him to be a quick learner so long as he is not allowed to grow bored or overloaded with too much information at once."

"Have you taught him any math?"

"I only covered the basics; such as counting up to one hundred, counting by fives and tens, and identifying monetary value of each coin and bill."

"Was that all you taught him?"

"No, I have also been teaching him about the various plants that grow in and around Konoha due to his interest in nature and gardening."

"I see, thank you. Today we will mostly just be testing all of the children to determine where they stand education wise so that we can put together an appropriate study schedule for each of them. When do you plan on enrolling Kojimaru in the Shinobi Academy?"

"His name has already been placed on the list for the summer/fall term."

"So, he will basically only be with us here for one term?"

"Hai."

"That doesn't give us much time to prepare him. How much time will you have to spend helping your godson with his daily homework assignments?"

"As much time as he needs; I have been assigned to wall duty for the duration of his term here and will not be taking any missions out of the village until he is due to start at the Shinobi Academy."

"In that case, I will prepare an extra packet of worksheets for him to take home each afternoon once I know where he currently stands academic wise. If at any time I believe that he is falling too far behind, I will forward a recommendation for his enrollment into the Shinobi Academy to be postponed for one or two terms."

"I understand but I do not believe that it will be an issue," Kosuke replied with a nod.

"I hope not but we are required to warn all parents and guardians of the possibility of their child being held back in the event that their child does not perform as expected. And while it is very rare that we are forced to hold a child back, the chances are higher for children in Kojimaru's age group due to their parents or guardians pushing them too hard, too fast, and too soon."

"I understand your concern but I am not pushing Kojimaru towards a fast track program; if he spends the next nine years in the Academy, then he spends the next nine years in the Academy."

"Ah, that is good to know. I get far too many parents desperately trying to raise the next Shiroi Kiba or Kiiroi Senko and it breaks my heart to see children breaking under the pressure before they're even out of diapers. Anyway, did you have any questions?"

"No."

"Then if you'll excuse me, I see another first time parent I must speak with. Please be sure to say goodbye to your godson before you leave."

Kojimaru watched his guardian head in his direction after he finished his conversation with the instructor. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he knew that the man would be leaving now.

"Kojimaru, it is time for me to go; I will return this afternoon to pick you up once you are finished for the day," Kosuke stated as he crouched down beside Kojimaru's chair. "Please behave for your instructors and please do not give any of your instructors the silent treatment."

"Wakatta," Kojimaru whispered as he hunched his shoulders.

"Arigatou. Please do try to relax and try to have some fun today. You should also consider making friends with the other students but I realize that that might take some time."

Kojimaru nodded and sighed even as his guardian laughed and ruffled his hair before he rose to his feet and left the classroom; leaving Kojimaru alone amidst the small crowd of strangers. Kojimaru stared at the door for close to ten minutes, hoping that Kosuke would reappear and tell him he'd made a mistake before he took him home. His mood plummeted significantly when that didn't happen. Before he could sink too deeply into his growing depression, Terasaki-sensei called the class to order as the last student took his seat.

"Good morning, class. For those of you who were not paying attention when you first arrived, I am Terasaki-sensei and I am a Chuunin level shinobi. To my left is Okimoto-sensei and to my right is Shirota-sensei; we will be your instructors for the next six months. It is our job to prepare you for the day you enter the Shinobi Academy to learn the skills you will need in order to one day become Shinobi of the Leaf. Today, we will be testing you in order to determine what level you are at and which subjects you will need the most help in."

"In front of you, you will find a test booklet; please use one of the pencils provided to write your name on the front of the test booklet. Has everyone done that? Good. Once I tell you to begin, please answer as many questions as you can. If you come across a question you can't answer, skip it and continue with the test. Once you have answered as many questions as you can, please set your pencil down, close your booklet, and raise your hand so that we can collect your test. Please do not talk during the test and please keep your eyes on your own test."

"Are there any questions? No…? Then you may open your test booklets and begin."

Kojimaru frowned as he opened his test booklet; the three and a half year old uncertain about the actual concept of taking a test. He was relieved the moment he discovered that the questions in the booklet were actually very easy. The first three sections of the test were on recognizing hiragana, katakana, and kanji characters and required him to label each character printed with their romaji equivalent. Recognizing the various symbols of the three alphabets (four if one counted romaji) was fairly easy for Kojimaru since that was something that Kosuke had worked with him on every night for over two weeks now. He may not have remembered all of the symbols but he did remember most of them.

After those three sections, there was a section on the calendar that required him to fill in the names of the months, the days of the week, and the correct number of days for each month. The section after the calendar was on numbers, counting, and simple math. He didn't have any trouble with identifying the numbers or any of the counting questions but he didn't know how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide and so left the second half of that section blank. He then had a section on money that asked him to label different bills and coins with their proper value.

The seventh section was on Konoha's history and most of the questions were left blank since Kojimaru didn't know that much about the village other than what Kosuke had told him. The last section was filled with a mishmash of different questions that dealt with social development; questions about well known fairytales and fables, about how he would act in certain situations, about common sayings and idioms, and about various street terms and slang. It was, by far, the most confusing section of the test for Kojimaru and he didn't even answer a third of the questions because most of them had made his head hurt when he tried to figure them out.

The moment he reached (and ignored) the final question, Kojimaru closed the test booklet, set his pencil down, and raised his hand as he been instructed. Okimoto-sensei rose from her seat and walked around the table to his chair before she quietly told him that he could put his arm down as she picked up his test booklet. The woman then handed him a small box of crayons and told him he could spend the rest of the testing period quietly drawing while they waited for the rest of the class to finish.

Kojimaru stared at the box of crayons in complete and utter confusion. He'd never seen or heard of crayons before and he wasn't quite certain what the instructor had meant when she told him to draw. Kosuke had taught him how to write but he'd never taught him anything about drawing. Bewildered blues eyes looked up from the box in search of answers but all three of the instructors were busy watching those students that were still taking their tests. Kojimaru then let his eyes search out the other children that had finished and noted some of the ones about his age were writing on their piles of unused scratch paper using similar boxes of crayons that had been given out.

He had no idea what they were scribbling down using the strangely colored sticks but they appeared to at least be having fun while they were doing it. Not wishing to get in trouble, Kojimaru carefully opened the box he'd been given and peeked inside to stare at the collection of colored sticks it held. His eyes unfailingly were drawn to the two green crayons; one dark like his eyes used to be and the other a lighter shade of green that inspired fear for a reason he could no longer remember. He pulled out the dark green crayon and discarded the box as he pulled one of the pieces of blank scratch paper closer to him.

Uncertainty filled him at that point as he flicked his eyes between the green crayon in his hand and the blank paper sitting in front of him. After another minute, Kojimaru tentatively pressed the crayon to the paper and drew downwards as if he was going to write his name. He relaxed as he noticed the stick leaving a mark on the paper the same way that the pencils did. The three and a half year old then tilted his head to one side and began dragging the crayon over more of the paper; absently forming a series of spirals, curly-cues, and curves that were all connected; like a vine twisting and curving back and forth across the paper.

Kojimaru would fill up three pieces of paper with the twisting vine-like lines before the class was called to attention once the last person had finished their test. The entire class was then asked to line up beside the door so that they could be led outside to play on the playground equipment while their tests were being graded. Going outside was something that Kojimaru felt far more comfortable with and he was one of the first children to line up as requested; his little legs and slender build allowing him to slip in between the older children that were in the class.

Once outside, Kojimaru spent the next hour diligently exploring every single inch of the enclosed playground that sat behind the school while he purposefully ignored the other children and the playground equipment. He was just thinking about climbing up one of the few trees in the yard when his sensei declared that recess was over and that it was time to return to the classroom. He reluctantly lined up with the other children and the group was soon led back into the class room where they discovered that the classroom had been completely rearranged while they were outside.

There were now three tables in the room; all of them lined up in a single column with one end butted up against the north wall. The smaller tables also had little cubby holes evenly spaced down the length; five on each side. The labeled chairs from earlier had each been placed in front of a cubby hole and Kojimaru could just make out a pile of paper, several pencils, an eraser, and a box of crayons inside of the closest cubby. Sitting on top of the table, directly over the cubbies, were the test booklets from earlier.

"Welcome back, class," Terasaki-sensei called out as the last child entered the room. "As you can see; we've rearranged our classroom now that we know where each of you fall academically. Please take a moment to locate your new seat and sit down."

Kojimaru followed the other children his age to the nearest table. Most of the younger students quickly found their names and took their seats while Kojimaru was a little lost; his name not on any of the chairs near the other three and four year olds. Feeling rather self conscious as the rest of the children soon found their assigned seats; Kojimaru crept around the tables looking for his name before he found it at the very last table. By that time, Kojimaru was the last child still standing and he felt his face heat up with embarrassment as all eyes turned to watch him take his seat. He felt even more uncomfortable when he finally sat down and discovered that he was the only 'little' kid that was seated at the table.

"Now that every one has been seated, we will start our first lesson…"

"Why do we have one of the babies sitting with us?" an eight year old sitting two seats to the left of Kojimaru loudly demanded as he leaned around the girl seated in between them to glare at the three and a half year old.

"Because that 'baby' as you so put it, scored higher than you did on the reading comprehension portion of the test. Your seats were assigned based upon your test scores with those needing the most help seated towards the front of the room while those with the higher scores were seated in the back. I'd advise you to get used to being in a classroom where one or more of your fellow students are either years younger or years older than you; the Shinobi Academy teaches children of all ages all at the same time and there is no clear separation of age groups as the students are separated by skill and ability instead."

"That said, in the future, I will not tolerate you interrupting me while I speak. If you have something you need to ask or that you wish to share with the class, then you will need to raise your hand and wait until I call on you. Do I make myself clear?"

"H…hai, sensei."

"Good, as I was saying, our first lesson will be on the life of the Shodai Hokage; Senju Hashirama…"

The instructor's lecture on the history of the Shodai Hokage would last for approximately an hour before the children were sent back outside for an hour of calisthenics. Immediately following the physical exercise, the children were led to the cafeteria where they were served lunch. Upon returning to the classroom after lunch, they were given reading and writing lessons; focusing on kanji, since that was apparently the alphabet that most of the children had had some trouble with on the tests.

At the end of the afternoon lesson, Kojimaru was more than ready to go home. He didn't really care for any of the other children as the younger ones avoided him because he had been singled out while the older ones ignored him because he was just a 'baby' in their eyes. He was also more than a little grumpy because he hadn't had any tea all day. His mood would do a complete one eighty when Kosuke produced a bamboo canteen filled to the brim with freshly brewed rosehip and honey tea when he arrived to collect him. The three and a half year old didn't even care when Kosuke spent a good twenty minutes in a conference with Terasaki-sensei regarding his test scores and future lessons.

Over the course of the next six months, Kojimaru's days would follow a similar pattern Monday through Saturday. Each morning, he'd be delivered to the school just before eight. He'd then spend half of the morning in lessons and the other half outside playing or training before he ate lunch. After the meal, he'd spend another hour and a half in lessons before Kosuke arrived with a canteen of tea in hand to take him home.

As soon as he arrived home in the afternoons, Kojimaru would spend another two hours completing the worksheets that Terasaki-sensei sent home with him each day with a short break after each half an hour so that he didn't get bored. Once he had finished his daily assignments, Kosuke would send him to wash his hands and face so that he could help make supper where his guardian continued his cooking and plant identification lessons (the latter often taking place outside in the garden). After the evening meal, Kojimaru would then take a bath and get ready for bed before he spent an hour going over the day's homework and practicing his reading and writing with Kosuke.

On Sundays, Kosuke would take Kojimaru to one of the various forests scattered throughout Konoha and the two of them would spend the day gathering an assortment of seeds, bulbs, and cuttings from those plants that Kosuke wished to add to his garden. Those were also the days when Kosuke taught him more about the plants they were collecting and about basic gardening. Kosuke had even built a small planter that he gave to Kojimaru so that the three year old could start a small garden of his own. Kojimaru would fill his planter with berries and herbs that could be used to add flavor to his tea; such as strawberries, raspberries, mint, ginger, and a single dwarf rose bush (for the rosehips).

During those six months, Kojimaru's time with Orochimaru was buried in the back of his mind as he quickly got caught up in just being a child. He laughed and played every chance he got and even got into mischief on the rare occasions when he grew bored. The only time that his childish demeanor disappeared was during lessons when he focused on his instructors (or guardian) with an unnatural intensity for a child his age; his attention unwavering so long as the topic of the lessons wasn't boring him (something that only occurred when he wasn't learning something new).

It was also very clear to the adults in his life that Kojimaru was very smart for his age; the three and a half year old learning at a rate that was far faster than the other children his age. He absorbed the knowledge that was presented to the class like a sponge soaks up water. He didn't have a photographic memory but he did have excellent memory retention and with his guardian's support and encouragement, he made no efforts to hide his intelligence. At the same time, he didn't flaunt it in front of the other children or make fun of those that had a harder time learning the material.

And while he didn't make any friends during his time at the Civilian's Academy, he did eventually learn to interact and play games with the other children during recess or in between lessons.

Over the course of the term, Kojimaru also grew closer to his guardian. By the end of term exams and ceremonies, the soon to be four year old had taken to calling the man Kosuke-oji and treated him as cross between an uncle and a father. It was a development that Kosuke both allowed and encouraged. The man had also tried to curb Kojimaru's excessive tea savoring habits but in the end gave it up as a lost cause and instead started teaching him the intricacies of the different Tea Ceremonies and how to brew more than twenty different types and flavors of tea. Kojimaru loved those lessons just as much as he loved the ones on gardening and cooking.

Throughout those six months, Kojimaru was observed by a masked shinobi who reported directly to Kasai; the AnBu Commander keeping a discreet eye on both children in order to gauge how well they were adjusting to their new lives and to make certain any potential threats were identified and eliminated before they could reach either child.

* * *

><p><em>June 22, 0284 AtD, 2:01 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru tucked the extra workbooks and worksheets that Terasaki-sensei had passed to him (for him to work on during the three weeks of vacation he had now that term was over) into his satchel before he waved to his three instructors and slipped out of Classroom Twenty-Three for the last time. The soon to be four year old then began skipping through the hall as he made his way towards the entrance lobby to wait for Kosuke-oji to collect him. Part of him was excited about having three weeks without any lessons while the rest of him was wondering what he'd be doing if he wasn't in class since he knew Kosuke had to work.

In no time at all, Kojimaru reached the lobby and saw Kosuke waiting for him just outside of the academy. Kojimaru hurried through the doors, eager to see if godfather had gotten the time off he'd requested so that the two of them could go camping outside of the village for the weekend. The artificial redhead skidded to a stop just before he reached his godfather when he noticed a vaguely familiar teen with a spiky ponytail speaking with him. As he hovered just a few steps away from the pair, Kojimaru couldn't help but overhear their conversation; his eyes locked on the stranger's back as he tried to recall where he'd seen him before.

"…to pack; what time did you want me to meet you?" the stranger lazily inquired as he shoved his hands into his pocket.

"Three-thirty; that will give me plenty of time to help Kojimaru pack to insure that he has everything he might need while we are out of the village."

"How long do you anticipate it taking to collect the requested items?"

"No more than a week; so long as we don't run into any problems."

"Wakatta," the stranger replied before he jerked his thumb in Kojimaru's direction. "In the mean time, do you think you can introduce me to the adorable little tyke currently burning a hole in my back?"

Kojimaru started at being caught staring; a dark flush staining his neck and cheeks red as both his godfather and the teen turned to look in his direction. His blush darkened the moment he recognized the teen's face because this wasn't the first time that the teen had caught him staring; the first time had been that first day in the village when he'd been waiting with his godfather outside of the Hokage's office. Kosuke then smiled and gestured for him to join them.

"Shikaku, allow me to introduce you to my godson, Kojimaru. Kojimaru-kun, meet Nara Shikaku. Shikaku will be joining us on our camping trip."

"Hi, Nara-san," Kojimaru greeted shyly with a polite but sloppy bow before he blurted out an excited, "Kosuke-oji, are we really going to camp out in the forest for a whole week instead of just the weekend?"

"Hai, I was asked to take a couple of missions on behalf of the Nara Clan," Kosuke answered with a fond grin as he ruffled Kojimaru's hair.

"Yosh!"

"Someone sounds a little excited," Shikaku chuckled as he too grinned at the child. "What is so special about the forest anyway?"

"The trees never hurt me," Kojimaru solemnly replied as he experienced his first flashback to his time with Orochimaru since he'd been taken in by Kosuke; his eyes darkening in remembered pain as the temperature around him dropped several degrees and the seals disguising the color of his eyes faltered for a second to reveal a flash of deep emerald green before the seals stabilized and hid his original eye color once more.

"You are safe now, my little tiger cub; I will protect you from those who would wish you harm until you are strong enough to protect yourself," Kosuke murmured as he swept Kojimaru up into his arms.

"Sumimasen, I had not intended for my question to cause the child distress; will he be alright?"

"No apologies are necessary, Shikaku; not even I could have predicted how he would react to a simple question. I am sure that Kojimaru will be fine in a few minutes."

And Kojimaru was; the not quite four year old bouncing back from his borderline depression with the ease that only a child or the rare adult can achieve. The three of them would part ways shortly afterwards so that they could all prepare themselves for the trip outside of the village. Kojimaru wriggled and squirmed like an overexcited kitten hunting its first moth as he helped his godfather pack their camping supplies. He then helped Kosuke water the gardens and connect the irrigation system that would water the plants while they were away; the complex system powered and maintained by specialized seals that Uzumaki Mito had designed for Kosuke close to two decades earlier.

Once they were finished and the house had been sealed against intruders, Kosuke seated Kojimaru up on his shoulders and the two of them took to the rooftops as Kosuke headed for the Nara Compound to collect Shikaku. The second they dropped down outside of the large estate, Kojimaru fell in love with the large rambling garden estate that opened up directly into a small forest. His eyes remained glued to the tree line right up until he heard his godfather's voice calling out a greeting as he reached up and lifted Kojimaru down off of his shoulders.

"Konnichiwa, Shikarou-sama; allow me to intro…"

As his feet touched the ground, Kojimaru pulled his eyes away from the forest to look at the man that Kosuke had just greeted. He saw a brief glimpse of a man that looked almost identical to Nara Shikaku, only with gray-streaked hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, before his eyes shifted passed the man to land on a majestic stag that was drinking from a pond just a few feet beyond the man. Kojimaru gasped the moment his eyes landed on the antlered deer as the broken shards of his earliest memories were stirred by the magnificent creature.

Without conscious thought, Kojimaru darted away from his godfather's side and headed straight for the stag. He half heard his godfather calling his name but he ignored his guardian for the first time as he ducked under an arm that tried to grab hold of him in his hurry to reach the stag. His heart felt near to bursting with joy when the stag lifted its head and looked right at him as he rounded the edge of the pond and made a beeline for the deer. Several curses rang out from behind him but the not yet four year old boy ignored the worried voices as he reached the stag's side and promptly threw his arms around the stag's right front leg as he pressed his face against the stag's warm skin.

Kojimaru let out a happy giggle as the stag ducked down to snuffle the back of his neck. He quickly leaned back enough to grin up at the stag as the curious creature sniffed at his hair before nipping lightly at his nose. Kojimaru's little hands released the stag's captured leg so that he could place them on the stag's soft muzzle. The stag snorted at him in response to the touch and Kojimaru laughed out loud before he impulsively planted a kiss on the stag's muzzle. The stag licked his face in return and he let out a cry of disgust as he jumped back and tried to wipe the deer spit from his face.

His cry soon turned to a yelp of shock as he lost his balance and fell backwards into the pond the stag had been drinking from just moments earlier. Kojimaru felt a brief moment of panic when the water closed over his head but it passed when he felt his back hit the muddy floor of the pond almost the moment he slipped under the water. Pushing himself up so that he was seated in the foot deep shallows at the edge of the pond, Kojimaru coughed up the bit of water he swallowed and pouted up at the stag when it loosed a series of low bellows as it laughed at him.

Kojimaru splashed him in retaliation and the stag's bellowing laugh abruptly turned into a bellow of shock as the water hit it in the face. The creature then snorted and shook itself before it leaned down to nose the now smug Kojimaru. The stag then licked the soon to be four year old a second time before it wandered off in search of food. Kojimaru huffed out a petulant whine as he scrubbed the deer spit from his face a second time as he scrambled to his feet and tried to chase after the stag.

His pursuit of the stag was cut short by a pair of strong arms unexpectedly plucking him off of the ground with a muttered mendoukusei before he made it completely out of the pond. Kojimaru whipped his head around to find himself being held at arm's length by a disgruntled Shikaku. The teen let out a resigned sigh as he eyed Kojimaru's wet and muddy clothes before he carried Kojimaru back to Kosuke; the teen still holding him at arm's length to avoid getting his clothes dirty.

"I believe this little bundle of trouble belongs to you, Kosuke-san," Shikaku drawled as he set Kojimaru down on his feet beside his godfather. The teen then turned to address the gray-haired man that look like him, "You're still looking rather pale, ojisan; are you going to be alright or did you need me to fetch a medic before I leave?"

"I'll be fine, Shikaku; the troublesome little gaki only managed to scare about five years off my life with his stunt," the gray-haired man assured the concerned teen while Kojimaru only half listened as he focused his attention on wringing the water out of his wet clothes.

"Sumimasen, Shikarou; I do not know what possessed my godson to behave so recklessly," Kosuke intoned as he bowed to the gray-haired man.

"No apologies are necessary, Kosuke; I'm just thankful that your godson was not harmed."

"Pogs would never hurt me," Kojimaru absently stated as he returned his attention to his dripping clothes; his sub-consciousness supplying him with the childish version of his biological father's nickname (Prongs) without his knowledge.

"Who or what is a pogusu?" Shikaku inquired curiously, the teen stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar word.

"Pogs is the stag; it's his name."

"Oh? Is it now? Why do you believe that that is the stag's name? And what makes you so sure that the stag would not hurt you?" Shikarou asked as he blinked down at the child.

Kojimaru frowned in response to the questions as the fragmented memories of his first life swirled through his mind without any rhyme or reason as he tried to find the answers in them. After a moment, he scattered the shards of those memories back into the depths of his mind when he grew frustrated with their incompleteness before he looked up at the gray haired man and stated, "I just know." He then turned to his godfather and asked, "May I go play with the deer, oji?"

"I'm afraid not, Kojimaru; we were supposed to be on our way out of the village already. As it is, we're going to have to head back home so we can get you out of those wet clothes before we can leave."

"There is no need for you to go all the way home just to change his clothes; he can use our bathroom," Shikaku insisted as he plucked Kojimaru off of the ground a second time. "I will take him inside to change while the two of you gossip a bit more."

Kosuke snorted in amusement as he passed Shikaku the scroll holding Kojimaru's spare clothes. Kojimaru was then instructed to kick off his sandals (so the mud could be wash off of them) before he was carried inside by the teen. Ten minutes and a quick shower later, he was clean and dry once more. Shikaku then carried him back outside, pausing only long enough to introduce Kojimaru to Nara Wakana (Shikaku's mother). Kojimaru and the supply scroll would then be passed to Kosuke before the three of them left the Nara Compound and made their way to the main gate where they took a moment to sign the gate register to log their reason for leaving the village before they disappeared into the trees.

The next five days were pure heaven for Kojimaru as he felt the ancient forest welcome him home. When he wasn't helping Kosuke and Shikaku find and collect those plants, seeds, and roots that the Nara needed to replenish their stock, he was exploring their various campsites, tracking an assortment of wildlife, swimming through leaves and puddles, or climbing up every likely looking tree. Both his godfather and the teen kept a close watch on the boisterous child while he played; the two shinobi constantly monitoring their surroundings for potential threats (both natural and manmade) that could harm the child.

It was towards the end of their week long trip that both man and teen witnessed Kojimaru using all three of his Kekkei Genkai (his internal healing ability being counted as one of three) for the first time since the night Kasai had triggered the boy's implanted bloodlines by manipulating the child's emotions.

At the time, Kojimaru had been climbing through the branches of an old knarled oak tree a good dozen yards from his guardian when he suddenly came face to face with an overly territorial wild cat that had been sleeping in the tree. The bad-tempered cat had attacked before either shinobi could reach child's side; neither one of them had noticed the sleeping cat in the shadows before Kojimaru had accidentally disturbed it from its nap. The large cat (which was easily twice the size of child) raked Kojimaru across the face and arm he'd instinctively raised in an attempt to protect himself.

Kojimaru had cried out sharply (more in surprise than in true pain thanks to his unnaturally high pain tolerance) as the cat's razor sharp claws sliced through his skin. He had instinctively thrown himself backwards to escape the cat's second paw swipe and ended up tumbling out of the tree. As the furious cat lunged after him, Kojimaru's Hyouton reacted to the threat; a dozen lances of hardened ice spearing the wild cat and killing it instantly. At the same time, his Mokuton gave life to oak tree he had been climbing and the newly animated branches gently plucked the falling child out of the air and cradled him close to the trunk.

Both Kosuke and Shikaku had stood gaping at the tree in shock for nearly two full minutes before the sound of Kojimaru's soft sobs had snapped his godfather out of his stupor. By the time he'd fetched Kojimaru from the tree's embrace, the gashes from the cat's claws had been healed without a trace bar the slight pinkish hue of freshly healed flesh and spilled blood staining his skin and clothes. Shikaku would silently deal with the remains of the wild cat while Kosuke tended to Kojimaru; the teen preserving the carcass and ice lances in a storage scroll for later study.

Shikaku, of course, immediately knew exactly who Kojimaru was after witnessing the child using both the Hyouton and what appeared to be a facet of the Mokuton; he had been part of the research team that had investigated Orochimaru's terrible experiments. He had also been one of the few that had suspected that the deaths of the two children had been staged. Kosuke had half feared that the future Nara Clan Head would interrogate him about Kojimaru's abilities but the only thing Shikaku would ask him was how he had ended up with custody of Kojimaru.

The teen had also been quick to assure Kosuke that he would not tell anyone about Kojimaru's true identity or the child's abilities. The young Jounin had even given the older man an overview of the research team's findings (to better help the man deal with any problems that might crop up with his ward). The last thing he provided Kosuke, was a list of those individuals who would know exactly who Kojimaru was if they ever saw him use his implanted Kekkei Genkai in order to reduce the chances of the child accidentally revealing himself to anyone else.

Kojimaru would remain rather subdued during the final two days of the camping trip and while he still played around, he didn't venture very far from his godfather during that time and his laughter no longer echoed through the forest.

* * *

><p><em>July 16, 0284 AtD, 7:15 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

"Do you have your bento and canteen?" Kosuke inquired as he passed his soon to be four year old ward the satchel he'd packed with a couple of changes of clothes for the child.

"Hai."

"Good. You will remember to wait at the academy for Shikaku to pick you up after your lessons are over?"

"Hai," Kojimaru repeated in an exasperated tone that made him sound far older than his not quite four years.

"I just wanted to be certain," Kosuke dryly pointed out; a trace of amusement coloring his tone in response to the boy's teenaged-like behavior and attitude. "I want you to promise me that you will behave for Shikaku while I am out of the village."

"I promise not to cause any trouble for the Nara or the deer, oji."

"Good. I expect you to keep up with your studies and work on your chakra control while I am gone."

"I will, oji."

"Come on then, let's get you to the academy before we miss the opening ceremony."

"Do you know when you will be back, Kosuke-oji?" Kojimaru asked as the two of them exited the house.

"A week, two at most, and that is only if we run into any trouble on the way."

"Oh, okay."

"Chin up, Kojimaru-kun; I will be back before you know it."

"Hai, oji."

Kosuke heaved a mental sigh over the dejected air that the not-quite four year old had wrapped around him. This would be the first time the two of them would be apart for more than a few hours. And while he had never expected to have any children after his wife had died close to a decade earlier, protecting and raising Kojimaru had become one of the most rewarding assignments he'd ever been given. He'd even long since stopped thinking of the boy as part of a mission; which was how Kasai had originally manipulated him into taking custody of the small child (since he couldn't rightly refuse such a delicate mission when the Hokage and the AnBu Commander were trusting him with something so important – even if Kasai had implied he could at the time).

Aside from a few small hiccups over the past seven and a half months (including the wild cat incident on their camping trip at the end of the previous month), watching over the child and training him had been both easy and a joy.

There were times when it had been difficult to remember that the child had actually been part of Orochimaru's horrific bloodline experiments. The boy had some how retained a measure of innocence and a sense of wonder that made it easy to forget that he had endured a form of torture and abuse at the hands of the traitor. And then in the next instant the child would say or do something that would slam the truth right back in his face; such as when Kojimaru had been attacked by the wild cat.

Kosuke had known that Kojimaru carried three Kekkei Genkai; Kasai had briefed him shortly after he'd first asked him to take custody of the child. He just hadn't expected to see the proof of all three bloodlines in one fell swoop or in such a violent manner. Once he'd gotten over the shock of seeing the child use the Hyouton and an unfamiliar facet of the Mokuton in self defense and desperation, Kosuke had felt more than a little ashamed at having failed to protect the child from the wild cat. The poor child had had nightmares for a couple of nights after that; not because he'd been attacked (as he had originally believed) but because he'd killed the cat.

If not for the child's innate healing ability, then he'd have borne the terrible scars of that wretched encounter for the rest of his life. To his surprise, Kojimaru hadn't blamed him in the least. In fact, the child had actually apologized to him for not being more careful. And then the child had further surprised him when he'd bounced right back to his usual cheerful self after spending a couple of nights at home in his bed. Kojimaru had even asked when they'd be going camping again; something Kosuke had not expected after the child had been so subdued during the final two days they'd spent outside of the village.

A soft snort escaped Kosuke as he glanced down at the child trustingly clinging to his hand and thought, '_These past seven and a half months have taught me that children are far more resilient than we adults ever give them credit for. The fact that my ward can find anything at all to smile about after the horrors he has experienced in his short life are proof of that._'

Kosuke set aside his reflections on his ward for the moment when he caught sight of the Shinobi Academy up ahead. He chuckled softly when Kojimaru's feet began dragging the moment he too noticed the Academy building coming into sight. Sweeping his godson (and the boy was his godson now, even if he hadn't been when he first took custody of him at the end of December) up into his arms, Kosuke carried the child the rest of the way.

Half an hour later, after the start of term ceremonies, Kosuke delivered Kojimaru to his assigned Chuunin Instructor and bid him good bye. Kosuke stayed just long enough to watch his godson trudge through the Academy's doors along with the rest of the children in his class group before he hurried towards the main gates to meet up with the two Jounin that he would be working with for the duration of this next mission.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Hai – yes  
>Kiiroi Senko – Yellow Flash<br>Konnichiwa – hello, good afternoon  
>Mendoukusei – how troublesome, what a drag, or this sucks<br>Ojisan/jisan/oji – uncle  
>Shiroi Kiba – White Fang<br>Wakana – Japanese girl's name meaning harmonious music

**Notes: **

Student dynamics – no, Kojimaru isn't a child genius; he just had a small mental boost due to Orochimaru's experiments and he had some intense one on one lessons with Kosuke during the two and a half weeks they were together before Kojimaru started at the Civilian Academy. That doesn't mean that the other children in the class are all stupid; they aren't. The way I see it, those children in the pre-shinobi class come from all different walks of life and they are enrolled in school at different ages for different reasons. Some come from poor families, some from rich families, a few from the smaller clans, and most from civilian families.

All of them will have had a different level of homeschooling, if they received any schooling at all. The one thing they all have in common (aside from transferring to the Shinobi Academy at some point) is the fact that this is their first (or maybe second in a few cases) experience with a school type environment; meaning that they are all on equal footing. So, knowing that, it is not unreasonable that Kojimaru knew the answers to some questions that the older children (who took the exact same test as him) did not.

It is also being a partial case of nurture versus nature as Kojimaru is being encouraged to reach his full potential whereas canon Harry was discouraged from showing his full potential during his early years. I never saw canon Harry as lacking in intelligence, he just rarely ever showed his true self because of the way he was raised, the way his friends acted, and the expectations of those around him. Or at least, that is how I see it when I look back over the entire HP series.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> _Look! No scars! Well, not counting the lightning bolt scar on his face. I know I tend to give Harry scars at the drop of a hat in my other stories but I believe it is unrealistic to have any one walk away from a serious injury without it leaving something behind. I also have a hard time with someone breezing through a serious fight without getting hurt at all; unless they spent all of their time running away. Which is why my characters usually get scars unless they have a trump card like one of the bijuu or special healing ability. Like I gave here to Harry/Kojimaru. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll probably toss up another chapter tomorrow since I'm still a bit behind on my posting schedule but I make no promises. ~ Jenn_


	7. The Pact

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seven: The Pact<span>

_July 21, 0284 AtD, 12:15 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru sighed and took another measured sip of tea from his canteen as he sat curled up in a nest of branches in an old acacia tree that grew on the Academy grounds. Unseen by those on the ground, a thin offshoot from one of the branches that made up the unnatural nest of living branches was gently petting the artificial redhead's back; Kojimaru's implanted Mokuton allowing him to give any tree he approached a degree of near sentience and mobility. It was an ability that had manifested the day he'd been attacked by the wild cat and he still could not control the ability when near any living plant but most especially when he was near any tree or in direct contact with a tree.

He had a similar but completely different problem with his Hyouton when it came to water and air; his Hyouton constantly dropped the temperature around him whenever he became uncomfortably warm. It didn't help that his body temperature had permanently dropped to around ninety-degrees Fahrenheit after that fateful encounter with the wild cat and he would quickly overheat the moment that his temperature rose above ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit. In the event that his temperature exceeded ninety-four degrees Fahrenheit, he would display all of the symptoms of any other child suffering from a severe fever.

The nearly four year old gave out another weary sigh as he absently petted a newly unfurled leaf on a branch that had just slithered up onto his leg. It had been six days since his godfather had left the village on a mission and while he didn't mind staying with Shikaku and his mother or spending time with the deer each afternoon, he missed Kosuke and their nightly cooking lessons. It didn't help that the Nara Clan as a whole tended to be rather lazy and uninterested in extra lessons, extra training, or any other movement that they deemed was unnecessary (such as playing tag with the deer or climbing trees).

Kojimaru was drawn out of his brooding by the sound of someone hailing him from the foot of the tree that he was hiding in. Curious as to who was looking for him, Kojimaru shifted up onto his knees and leaned over the side of the nest the tree had grown for him the first time he had climbed up into its branches. His eyes soon landed on a boy about his age with dirty-blonde hair and light brown eyes waving up at him from the base of the tree. Kojimaru recognized the kid from his class; though he had never sat near him during their lessons or even talked to the boy.

"Can I come up?"

Kojimaru bit his lip as he sat back and glanced about his little nest; he'd be in trouble if someone saw the nest because he wasn't supposed to let anyone see what he can make the trees (or the ice) do. Glancing back down at the other boy, he shook his head no and hesitantly replied, "There isn't enough room."

"Oh. Will you come down here instead then?"

Letting out yet another sigh, this time over having his tea-time interrupted, Kojimaru grabbed his things (in case he didn't have time to fetch them before the bell signaled it was time to return to class) and reluctantly climbed down to see what the boy wanted.

"What did you want?" Kojimaru asked a bit nervously once he reached the ground before he cast a worried glance up at the tree to make certain that none of the branches had moved to follow him like they usually did.

"Do you remember me?" the boy asked as he glanced around at the other children that were either playing around or eating their lunches in small groups; as if worried someone might hear him.

"Yeah, you're in my class. You always sit at the back of the room."

"I know that… but do you remember me?"

"No, should I?"

The boy turned to look Kojimaru right in the eye and bluntly replied, "I remember you; you're subject one-thirty-eight."

Kojimaru couldn't help but flinch in response to hearing that horrible number once more. He began hyperventilating as he backed away from the other boy; his eyes widening in fright as he began to fear that Orochimaru and the others had found him once again. He let out a soft whimper as he recalled that Kosuke wasn't here and wouldn't be able to protect him from Orochimaru like he had promised that he would. He would have bolted at that point if not for the other boy reaching out to grab hold of his wrist.

"Don't be scared," the boy whispered urgently as he eyed Kojimaru with concern. "I won't hurt you. I'm subject one-eighty-one."

Kojimaru started in surprise before he frowned and glanced around the yard at the other children much as the other boy had just a minute ago. He then broke free of the other boy's grasp and latched onto his wrist instead as he began climbing back up the tree while dragging the other boy along behind him.

Once they were inside of the small nest, Kojimaru let the other boy go and hissed out a harsh, "Don't you know we're not supposed to talk about that?"

"Do you remember me now?" the boy formerly known as subject one-eighty-one demanded instead of acknowledging Kojimaru's question.

"Sort of; you look different. I look different too. How did you know it was me?"

"I didn't know it was you at first. Not until I saw the way you drink your tea. Did the masked man find you a home and a family too? Did they give you a proper name? My new family named me Tenzou."

"Ojisan named me Kojimaru."

"You have a new uncle too?"

"Not really. Kosuke-oji tells everyone I'm his godson but he's sorta like an uncle and he takes care of me. Did they send you to live with a shinobi too?"

"Hai, Kisuke took me home and he tells everyone I'm his nephew. Emiko is really nice too. She's Kisuke's wife and she lets me call her obasan. Do you have a godmother too?"

"No. Kosuke and I live alone. He has pictures of a pretty woman that he talks to all the time when we're home and he doesn't think I'm listening but he said she died a long time ago the one time I asked him about her. How come you didn't go to the Civilian Academy last term?"

"Kisuke-oji didn't think I was ready. Something about giving me time to settle in or something like that. Emiko gave me all kinds of lessons at home instead. I thought you said there wasn't enough room for both of up here?"

"I kinda lied about that. I'm not supposed to let any one see the way that the trees act all funny and come alive when I'm near them or when I'm touching them," Kojimaru sheepishly answered as he gestured to the branch that was currently petting his hair. "Don't the trees act weird around you as well? Can you make ice grow too?"

"No, I can't do anything like that. I did hear Kisuke say something about me being able to make trees grow when I am older, though. I think that would be kind of cool because I like trees. I especially like the way freshly cut wood smells. Do you like the dirt? I do. I'm always getting in trouble for getting dirty because I like to dig and play in the ground."

"Dirt is okay. I prefer to play in the leaves, splash in puddles, and climb trees. I like the wind a lot too. I like the way it tugs my hair when ojisan runs and jumps across the rooftops while he is carrying me."

The two boys fell silent at that point as they both got lost in their thoughts. Kojimaru was just taking another sip from his canteen when Tenzou spoke up once more to ask, "Do you still remember…?"

"Sometimes, but I try not to," Kojimaru replied as he shuddered in response to the question and the memories that the questioned had stirred; the artificial redhead immediately knowing that the other boy was referring to the things that Orochimaru had done to them. "I don't like remembering."

"I don't either. Do you ever wish you could forget?"

"No."

"Why not?" Tenzou asked in surprise as he twisted around to stare at Kojimaru in shock.

"If I forget, then I will not remember how mean adults can be. I don't like the memories but I don't want to forget them. I already forgot most everything from before _he_ found me; I can't even remember my otousan and my okaasan properly anymore and I don't ever want to forget any thing again. I don't like not knowing when I know I'm supposed to know; even if all I can remember is pain and broken fragments."

"You forgot me."

"No, I didn't, not really; you look different now, so I didn't see you when I looked at you. Just like the old man in the hat didn't see me when he looked at me after ojisan brought me home. I don't think we were supposed to remember each other. The masked man moved us apart that night and then he gave us to different people. We're supposed to be secrets, I think. So they can hide us better from _him_."

"Do you think _he_'s looking for us?"

"I don't know. I don't want _him_ to look for us. I want _him_ to forget about us."

"Are you afraid that _he_ will find you?"

"No, ojisan promised me that he'd protect me."

"But you were scared earlier. When I told you I knew who you were."

"I was only scared because Kosuke-oji is not here. He went on a mission. I was also scared because I didn't think any one would recognize me. No one else recognized me and when you said you did, it startled me and I thought _he_ had found me."

"Oh, I'm sorry I frightened you like that. I just wanted to know if you remembered me like I remembered you. Does your godfather go on lots of missions?"

"Not at first. This is the first time he's left me alone since he took me home."

"He left you all alone? Why would he do that? Are you scared?"

"No, I'm staying with Shikaku-san and the deer. And I'm not scared. It just feels weird to not have ojisan near. Do the people you live with go on missions and leave you too?"

"Not really. Kisuke goes on missions sometimes but he mostly just stays in the village. Emiko never goes on missions; she's a civilian. She takes care of me when Kisuke is not home."

"What's it like having an aunt?"

"I don't know. I guess it's not much different than having a mother."

"Oh," Kojimaru murmured in confusion and discomfort as he desperately tried and failed to recall what it was like to have a mother. After a moment, he asked, "What's it like to have a mother?"

"It's nice, I think."

"What does a mother do?"

"Well, they cook all the time and clean the house. They smile and cry lots too. They also give you hugs to make you feel better. Don't you remember anything about your mother?"

"I remember the color red," Kojimaru whispered; his eyes growing unfocused as he turned his mind inwards. "A dark red that was the color of freshly spilled blood and an acid green light. And I know that she's dead." He then refocused on the other boy as he shook off the fragments of his old memories. "I guess ojisan is like my mother too. He cooks and cleans too. He's teaching me how to cook and how to take care of the garden."

"He's teaching you to cook like a girl?"

"No! Boys can cook too! Lots of boys cook in the restaurants. Besides, who would cook for those grown-ups that don't have mothers to take care of them? They can't all eat at restaurants all the time. Ojisan is the best cook of all."

"How do you know? Has any one else ever cooked for you?"

"Hai, Shikaku-san's okaasan makes supper every night. I like what she makes but I like what Kosuke makes better. He uses all kinds of different herbs and spices that he grows in our garden. He can even make asparagus taste good."

"No way! Asparagus is gross."

"Not the way Kosuke cooks it!"

Before Tenzou could argue back again, the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang and both boys jumped before snickering at one another. The two of them then shimmied down out of the tree as fast as they could so they wouldn't get in trouble for being late to their next lesson. They reached the classroom out of breath and still grinning like loons before they both headed to their seats.

"Will you wait for me after our lesson?" Tenzou asked as he paused halfway back to his seat.

"Okay," Kojimaru agreed with a nod as he too briefly stopped moving to glance back at the other boy.

The two boys shared another grin before they hurried to their seats and sat down as their sensei entered the room just as the final bell rang. All through the history lesson on the First Great Shinobi War, Kojimaru fidgeted in his seat and snuck glances towards the back of the room where the other boy sat. He felt kind of weird; all excited and worried at the same time. None of the other children he'd been around made him feel that way. None of the other children he had played with had ever known what it was like to be an experiment either. Not like him. And not like Tenzou.

After their history lesson, the class was sent back outside for their taijutsu lessons. Kojimaru gravitated towards Tenzou this time; instead of hanging back on the fringe of the group like he had during the past five days. The two not quite four year olds then whispered to one another as they practiced the taijutsu stances that their instructor was teaching them. The topics of their hushed conversation included continuing their boys versus girls cooking argument, training they had been given by their respective guardians, their favorite hobbies, and tea. It was the most fun that Kojimaru had had over the course of his first week at the Shinobi Academy and by the time the lesson had ended, Kojimaru had forgotten all about being depressed over Kosuke's continued absence.

The two of them then waited together in the lobby of the Academy for their respective minders to fetch them after their final class of the day. Just before they parted ways, they agreed to sit together during their indoor classes and to eat lunch together in Kojimaru's hidden nest up in the acacia tree on Monday.

Kojimaru's good mood would last for the rest of the weekend and Shikaku would be worn ragged by the extra energy that the almost four year old had generated in his excitement. When Wakana had asked him why he was so wound up at one point; Kojimaru had grinned at Shikaku's mother and proudly proclaimed that he'd made another friend. That had Shikaku asking him who his other friends were (since the Nara heir had easily deduced who his new friend was given who the soon to be four year old had been hanging around with after classes). Kojimaru had happily answered that his first friends were the trees and the deer; the child never noticing the sorrow his answer invoked in both mother and son.

Monday morning couldn't come soon enough for Kojimaru and once Monday did arrive, Kojimaru was up at the crack of dawn and impatient to leave for once. He'd somehow managed to sweet talk Wakana into making him a special batch of cherry blossom wagashi and preparing a small packet of powdered green tea (the type that is used for tea ceremonies) on Sunday evening when she'd made his bento for the next day. Kojimaru had wanted to do something special to mark his new friendship and so decided that he'd host a special tea ceremony for Tenzou.

He'd even managed to drag Shikaku out of bed an hour early that morning; much to the teen's disgruntlement and his mother's amusement. Kojimaru would then drag Shikaku out the door a full half an hour earlier than they usually left for the Academy so that he could have time to set things up for the tea ceremony and so that he could spend more time with Tenzou before their first lesson started. Shikaku complained the entire way to the Academy while Kojimaru ignored him and pulled him along at a near run so that the Nara wouldn't waist any time.

Kojimaru dropped Shikaku's arm the moment they stepped onto the Academy grounds and darted off towards the acacia tree that he'd claimed for himself as he hastily called a quick goodbye over his shoulder to his disgruntled babysitter. He quickly scrambled up the trunk of the tree in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the hidden nest where he spent the next ten minutes making his secret fort a little bigger and coaxing the tree into growing a small table in the very center of the nest. Once that was done, he covered the table with a white handkerchief before he carefully set out the ceremonial tea bowl, packet of powdered tea, a canteen of hot water, a tea whisk, a bamboo ladle, a ceremonial tea bowl, a pair of small plates, and the covered boxes holding his bento and the wagashi.

He then scampered back down the tree trunk and rushed back around to the front of the Academy to look for Tenzou. It didn't take him long to find his new friend and Kojimaru whooped gleefully the moment his eyes fell upon the other boy; startling more than a few teachers and students since he was usually rather quiet. Tenzou's eyes had lit up the moment he saw Kojimaru in turn and they grinned at one another before they darted off to play a game of tag while they waited for class to start. Several of the other children would join them in their game not long after that.

When the bell rang some fifteen minutes later, the two boys were flushed from excitement and giggling as they followed the rest of the class into the room. The moment they stepped inside of the room, Tenzou would drag Kojimaru to the back of the classroom where the two of them claimed a pair of desks side by side in the very last row. The first half of the morning would pass by with agonizing slowness as they spent an hour learning how to find their chakra through meditation and another hour going through chapter two of the Shinobi Handbook.

During the second half of the morning, Kojimaru and Tenzou would huddle together and whisper back and forth as they performed their daily exercises and took turns practicing shurikenjutsu. As soon as their class was released for lunch, both boys ran back to the classroom so that Tenzou could grab his lunch before Kojimaru eagerly hauled Tenzou up into the acacia tree once more. Tenzou was rather surprised at the appearance of the somewhat lopsided table that had been set for tea but he only grinned in excitement when Kojimaru shyly explained what he had planned.

Kojimaru started the tea ceremony by carefully emptying the packet of powdered tea into the ceremonial bowl before pouring in the still hot (but no longer boiling) water from the canteen. He then carefully used the tea whisk to stir the mixture until the last of the powder dissolved. Finally, he opened up the box of wagashi and carefully served them each two pieces of the blossom shaped confections; making it a point to serve Tenzou first.

Once he had finished serving them both, Kojimaru solemnly declared Tenzou his friend as he carefully passed the bowl of tea to him. He watched Tenzou slowly turn the bowl three times and drink half of the tea before he proclaimed Kojimaru his friend in turn as he passed the bowl back to him. Kojimaru beamed at the slightly taller boy as he turned the bowl in his hands three times before he drank the rest of the tea; Kojimaru for once not making an attempt to drag out the drinking of the tea due to the importance of the ceremony in his mind. Silence then filled the hidden fort as the boys ate their wagashi.

After the ceremony was deemed complete, Kojimaru traded the bowl for his bamboo canteen (filled with orange tea this time) while Tenzou removed the lids from their bento boxes. The seriousness of the ceremony was then broken as the individual meals were freely shared while the pair chatted about all of the things that they'd experienced since being separated. They also talked about the things that they wanted to do. By the time they finished the last morsel of their small feast, the two boys were feeling far more comfortable around one another; their friendship fully acknowledged and accepted.

Just before they climbed down out of the tree in order to wash their dishes, the two boys made a solemn vow to never forget each other, to always be friends, to look out for one another, and to keep each other's secrets. The lingering traces of Kojimaru's magic that unknowingly lived on in both boys (little though there was in Tenzou) insured that their pact would hold fast for the rest of their lives.

The two boys were inseparable from that point forward. They studied, trained, played, pranked, and ate together every single chance they got; much to the exasperation of a certain masked AnBu Commander who had split the two of them up for a reason. Their respective guardians encouraged the friendship; neither of their assigned caregivers aware of the fact that the child of the other was another survivor of Orochimaru's experiments. A fact that further drove Torifu up the wall because he couldn't exactly tell either man why he didn't want their wards associating with one another since it would defeat the purpose of splitting them up and hiding their identities.

It didn't help that any attempts to separate the two of them were met with open hostility from both boys. Those that didn't heed their verbal protests over any temporary separations were promptly and publicly pranked; repeatedly and with careful planning for optimum humiliation. Would be bullies that attempted to pick on the pair were given the same treatment. Few bullies were brave enough to suffer through the humiliation more than once or twice before they learned to avoid and ignore the two friends.

Throughout the next two years, Kojimaru and Tenzou would grow by leaps and bounds physically, emotionally, socially, and academically. The time that they spent training together saw the two of them unconsciously adopting skill sets that complimented each other's strengths and covered their weaknesses. That was most especially true when it came to their taijutsu; Tenzou leaning towards becoming a heavy hitting offensive fighter while Kojimaru was a fluid and fast moving defensive fighter that would eventually become near impossible to catch. The same was fairly true of their throwing skills; Kojimaru being able to flood an area with shuriken and kunai in the blink of an eye while Tenzou threw slower with greater accuracy and strength – making their combined attacks far more dangerous.

When it came to the low level ninjutsu that were taught at the Academy, Tenzou picked up each new jutsu fairly easily due to his having good chakra control and only slightly larger than average chakra reserves. Kojimaru, on the other hand, struggled with each jutsu due to his far larger reserves and rather poor chakra control. However, once he did manage to learn a jutsu, Kojimaru could repeatedly use it without worrying about chakra exhaustion because of his chakra reserves were so large.

Their survival skills were well above average for their age and class level due to the countless weekends and vacations spent camping outside of Konoha with Kosuke (Tenzou invited to join them on occasion after the two boys had become friends). Kisuke, in turn, had taught the boys stealth, evasion, escape tactics, and how to hide in plain sight on the nights when Kojimaru spent the night at Tenzou's home. Nara Shikaku, who had somehow ended up as the official babysitter of both boys despite his protests, ended up teaching the pair basic strategy (using games like Go and Shogi), how to read body language, how to deceive someone using body language, and helped them improve their meditation (in order to make them to sit still for a half an hour so he could get a break from their rambunctiousness).

As much as the two boys had in common, most of their chosen hobbies were actually very different. Kojimaru enjoyed cooking, gardening, tea ceremonies, and bird watching while Tenzou preferred carpentry, wood working and carving, and studying architecture. The hobbies that they had in common were camping, pranking, and telling ghost stories – the scarier, the better. They also had a few different likes and dislikes, different fears (as well as a few shared fears), and slightly different dreams for the future.

In addition to his Academy lessons and the extracurricular training sessions, Kosuke spent a considerable amount of time helping Kojimaru learn how to control his implanted Kekkei Genkai. Those training sessions mainly focused on getting Kojimaru to recognize the dropping temperature as an activation of his Hyouton and keeping a tight reign on his chakra when around trees. On top of that, Kosuke was teaching Kojimaru to change the nature of his chakra into each of his individual affinities; wind, water, and earth. The reason for those lessons was to give the child a better understanding of his chakra in order to further improve his control over both elemental Kekkei Genkai.

Changing his chakra to water was fairly easy as all he had to do was draw the moisture from the air to soak a piece of paper (or cloth if he didn't have any paper on hand). It was changing his chakra into wind and earth that gave him trouble because of the way plant matter tended to react to his chakra (leaves or sticks automatically growing into new trees even if they had been completely dried out). So, instead of crumbling a leaf (for earth) or cutting a leaf (for wind), Kojimaru was forced to skip straight to the second level; crumbling rocks and cutting senbon. Tenzou was receiving similar training from Kisuke and, unbeknownst to both of their guardians, the two boys would practice the exercises together and help one another on the sly.

At the end of their second year at the Shinobi Academy, just over a month before their sixth birthdays, the inseparable pair of troublemakers would take and pass the Genin Exam. Their early graduation, while not exactly unexpected and mostly encouraged, was not exactly a welcomed development in the eyes of their guardians. The reason for that was entirely due to the war that had broken out between Konoha and Iwa in October of two hundred eighty-five when the rising tensions between the two villages came to a head in the aftermath of a botched mission that had ultimately resulted in the death of the Tsuchikage's wife and his newborn daughter.

The team that had been assigned that particular mission bore the blame for the war (due to that being the final straw that sparked the current hostilities) but none more so than Hatake Sakumo aka Konoha no Shiroi Kiba. It had been Sakumo's decision to delay the mission in order to save the lives of his injured teammates after their team had been attacked by a high level rogue shinobi from Kirigakure no Sato. By the time he'd gotten the other three shinobi to safety and resumed the mission, the damage had already been done for his delay would ultimately result in the death of the Tsuchikage's wife and daughter.

Sakumo would break in less than two weeks under the disdain and in some cases outright hostility that was directed at him and tragically committed seppuku to atone for his mistakes. Hatake Kakashi, Sakumo's seven year old son, was the one that found his father's still warm body just minutes after he had died. The seven year old Chuunin would be made a ward of the Sarutobi Clan the day after his father's death in order to protect the child from hostile civilians and shinobi that still blamed his father for the war and saw Kakashi as a scapegoat for their anger due to his relation to the dead Sakumo.

Kakashi would be traumatized by the discovery but soon strove to put the stigma of being his father's son behind him by religiously adhering to the shinobi code of conduct. He also began covering half of his face with a cloth mask to hide his resemblance to his deceased father and to hide his emotions. The young Hatake prodigy would fade into near obscurity within a few months as the war quickly began heating up with skirmishes taking place nearly every time a Konoha team left the borders of Hi no Kuni.

As a result of the war, the age and skill requirements for graduation from the Academy had been lowered in order to boost the number of shinobi on the force. The influx of new Genin would then allow the more experienced shinobi to be deployed on those missions with a higher chance of facing off against Iwa shinobi. It also allowed them to build up the size of their force. Unlike peace time graduates, those who graduated after the declaration of war were not tested by their assigned Jounin instructor to discover whether or not they could work together as a team; Konoha couldn't afford to send half trained soldiers back to the academy because of petty differences when the war was escalating quickly.

The newly made teams would also not be overly specialized teams like those that were formed during peace time; where the Hokage arranged the teams based upon clan heritage, test scores, and potential. Instead, the teams were formed by the Academy instructors that had taught the most recent term for the graduates and strictly based upon age first and then by skill in an effort to create generic teams that could be sent on any mission. The teams would then be put through a month's worth of intense training by their Jounin sensei before they began taking high D and low C ranked missions (the low ranked D missions that were nothing more than glorified chores going to the injured and retired shinobi instead of bogging down the more able bodied shinobi on the mindless chores).

As the only two six year olds in the current batch of graduates, Kojimaru and Tenzou were promptly placed on the same team by their Chuunin instructor along with the next youngest boy who'd not yet been assigned a team. That was how the two of them ended up on Team Fourteen with the soon to be nine year old Yamashiro Aoba under a twenty year old Jounin by the name of Shirakumo Hayama.

By the time Kasai learned that both survivors had graduated and that they had been mistakenly placed on the same team, it was too late to do anything about it because ordering them to be separated at that point would draw far too much attention to the pair. Needless to day, Kasai was more than a little displeased that his plans to once again separate the two children had failed while his attention was focused upon the war.

That didn't stop the man from pulling Hayama into his office without any warning and giving the man very specific instructions about what he was and was not allowed write down in any mission report. Specifically, the Jounin was ordered (under penalty of death) to never make any allusions to either child's Kekkei Genkai. That would make Hayama one of four people that knew the identities and capabilities of both boys; the other three people being Kasai, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. The Hokage was fully aware that both boys were still alive but the Hokage had chosen to exclude himself from the list of individuals that were given that information.

In addition to those four people, there were another four people that knew the truth about Kojimaru's identity. One of those four was Maruboshi Kosuke, who had been told the same day that he'd taken custody of the child. The other three individuals had all stumbled upon the truth on accident. Nara Shikaku had witnessed the reawakening of Kojimaru's abilities and recognized him as one of the two survivors. Akimichi Chouza and Yamanaka Inoichi would both learn the truth when Kojimaru saw Inoichi for the first time after he'd been taken in by Kosuke; the then four year old had yelled at the blonde for lying to him about the extra cup of tea that Inoichi had promised him.

There was only one additional person that was fully aware that Tenzou was one of the two survivors that had been found within Orochimaru's underground labs and that was his guardian, Maboroshi Kisuke. The reason why so few people had managed to discover the truth about the second child was mostly due to the fact that his implanted Kekkei Genkai had not yet been activated and because he'd not accidentally ousted himself to anyone over a grudge. The AnBu Squad that had been selected to watch over both boys during the first twelve months after they had been released from the hospital had had their memories of the children sealed by Kasai for security purposes when the squad had been pulled from their watch duty around the same time that Iwa had declared war on Konoha.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Bunshin no Jutsu – Clone technique  
>Henge no Jutsu – Transformation technique<br>Kawarimi no Jutsu – Substitution technique  
>Kinobori no Waza – Tree climbing<br>Konoha no Shiroi Kiba – Konoha's White Fang  
>Meisai Gakure no Jutsu – Camouflage Concealment Technique<br>Seppuku – ritual suicide by disembowelment (originally used by samurai)  
>Shurikenjutsu – weapon throwing techniques<p>

**Notes: **

Tea Ceremony – okay, as someone who has never participated in a tea ceremony before, I realize that my version is far less accurate than a true tea ceremony. I did read up on tea ceremonies prior to writing this chapter but a description of what takes place during a ceremony isn't exactly the same as being a part of one. So, any glaring mistakes are accidental and not meant to offend and at the same time intentional since I imagine a four year old child's version of a tea ceremony would be less than perfect in any case. That is also one of the reasons why I sort of skimmed over the ceremonial parts as well.

** Kakashi's father – while I know the reason that Sakumo killed himself is canon, the mission that I had him on is not; as that is one that I came up with to account for why an abandoned mission could potentially trigger a war. I figured the loss of his wife and daughter would be one potential scenario and I wanted this war to be personal for Oonoki since it would explain why the old man was so bitter even long after the war ended.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _Kojimaru and Tenzou have now been reunited, the Third Great Shinobi War has officially started, and things are about to get busy. There will be additional time skips in the next few chapters but there will also be snapshot moments. Not sure when I'll update next but I imagine it'll be a day or two from now as I try to remember which story this one was paired with on my update schedule. ~ Jenn_


	8. The Team

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Eight: The Team<span>

_June 23, 0286 AtD, 11:30 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru slid into his seat beside Tenzou a split second before the bell rang. The not quite six year old wriggled in excitement as he glanced at his best friend. Tenzou turned to him at the same time and the two boys shared a grin as they took in the shiny hitai-ate securely tied around each other's forehead. Their attention was drawn back to the front of the classroom a moment later as Midori Kusaha, their instructor for the past term, climbed to his feet and stepped out from behind his desk as he called the classroom to order.

"Alright, everyone quiet down and find a seat! I have few things that I need to say before I announce the team formations and provide each new team with the name of their Jounin sensei. Thank you. First, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you on graduating once again; I know that everyone seated here worked hard over the past four months in order to earn the hitai-ate that you now wear. And while I am proud of you all, I wish many of you had not chosen to take up a hitai-ate when you did."

Kojimaru and Tenzou both tried hard not to squirm when Kusaha-sensei's eyes lingered on them for a moment before they moved on as he continued his speech, "It is not because I don't think you are capable, it is because I fear that I am sending you to an early grave. I know that being a shinobi seems like a grand adventure to most of you and what you need to understand is that being a shinobi is not a game. There are no winners, only broken survivors. I am not telling you this to scare you; I am telling you this in the hopes that my words of warning will save your life."

"There is a war going on outside of this classroom. I know most of you have seen it in the faces of your parents or heard it from the mouths of strangers that you've passed on the street. There is a difference between hearing about war and living a war though and the moment you walk out of this classroom today, you will become part of the war thanks to those shiny plates of metal strapped to your foreheads. The moment you accepted your hitai-ate, you became a soldier and the enemy will not see your age or inexperience when they face you on the battlefield; all they will see is that you wear the leaf in service to our village."

Kusaha paused as he dropped his gaze to the floor and took a deep breath before he looked back up and began speaking once more, "I am going to assign each of you one last assignment as your Academy instructor. When you leave here today with your Jounin sensei, I want each of you to train hard and listen well to everything that your new sensei will be teaching you. I have no wish to see any of you carried back to Konoha in a black scroll by your teammates because you grew lazy or careless."

Many of the students shivered in response to the blunt reference to the death scrolls that shinobi used to carry home the bodies of the dead and more than a few of the girls in the room looked rather green in the face. Neither Kojimaru nor Tenzou reacted to the reference, however; they had been desensitized to death by Kosuke during their frequent camping trips outside of the village in preparation for the day they earned their hitai-ate. Few of the civilian born and raised Genin in the room (which was close to two-thirds of those present) had gone through such extreme training.

And none of their fellow Genin had been cruelly and painfully experimented on by Orochimaru in the way that they had been; there were things that were far worse than death, after all.

Their Academy instructor wasn't aware of their terrible past though and the man took their non-reaction as an indication that they had not understood his speech or that they were still caught up in the romance that was associated with their chosen profession. Kusaha was one of those who had wished to hold the two soon to be six year olds back the moment he learned that they were attempting the test. Kusaha hadn't been the one to administer the test though and he was too low in the Academy staff hierarchy to protest their passing.

"Does any one have any questions? No? Then I will begin announcing the team formations; please remain silent and stay in your seats until I have finished calling out all of the team assignments. Team One is…"

Kojimaru huddled in on himself as he locked his worried and hopeful eyes on Kusaha. He didn't care who was on his team or who had been assigned as his Jounin sensei so long as he was on a team with Tenzou. He didn't think he could bear it if he was put on a different team than his best (and only) friend (that was human, anyway). The moment he heard Kusaha-sensei call his name, Kojimaru held his breath as he waited to hear who his two teammates were.

"Team Fourteen is Kojimaru, Tenzou, and Yamashiro Aoba; your Jounin sensei will be Shirakumo Hayama. Team Fifteen is…"

Kojimaru released his breath and sagged back in his chair before he began grinning like a loon as Tenzou playfully poked him in the side. Kojimaru glanced sideways at his best friend before he began craning his neck as he searched the rest of the room to find their third teammate. Tenzou poked him a second time and when Kojimaru turned to look at him, Tenzou gestured towards the right with his chin. Kojimaru let his eyes follow the direction his friend had indicated and he soon found himself meeting the gaze of an older boy wearing a pair of brown framed sunglasses.

The boy nodded his head politely and Kojimaru returned the gesture as he recognized him as one of the few older students that had never picked on him or Tenzou; he'd just never bothered to learn the boy's name before or he would have recognized him by name alone. Happy with his team formation, Kojimaru went back to wriggling excitedly in his seat as he waited for his sensei to finish announcing the teams so he could find out what they were supposed to do next. He didn't have to wait long.

"… sensei will be Uchiha Yashiro," Kusaha-sensei finished before lowering the scroll he'd been reading the team formations from. "Is there anyone who did not hear me call their name? No? Then you are dismissed for lunch; make certain that you return to this classroom no later than one fifteen to meet with your Jounin sensei. I highly recommend that you spend your lunch break getting to know your new teammates if you don't already know them. Good luck, Genin."

"I'll see if Yamashiro-senpai wants to join us, Kojimaru-kun," Tenzou insisted as the two young Genin climbed to their feet in unison. "You go get everything ready for the tea ceremony that I know you had planned out to celebrate our team announcements."

"Wakatta," Kojimaru replied as he grabbed their things and headed out the window and down the side of the building to save time.

Three minutes later, he was climbing up his and Tenzou's acacia tree. He took a moment to clean out the handful of leaves that had collected in the nest-fort over the weekend before he quickly set the sturdy table that had replaced the first table he'd grown out of the branches. He was just pulling out the hand carved wooden plates (that he and Tenzou had made at a craft workshop between terms) when Tenzou dropped over the short wall of the hidden fort followed by Aoba.

"Thank you for inviting me to join you," Aoba stated in a somewhat formal tone as he sat down at the table and set his bento on the fort's floor. He then took a moment to glance around the small fort before he added, "This place is much nicer than I expected it to be."

"We are pleased that you were willing to join us for our tea ceremony, Yamashiro-senpai," Kojimaru replied just as formally as he began preparing the tea.

"Call me Aoba," the older boy countered with a grin and just like that the slight tension between the three boys melted.

Kojimaru diligently played the host while Tenzou answered Aoba's questions and asked a few in return. By the time lunch was over, the three of them at least felt comfortable with one another even if they hadn't automatically become the best of friends yet. Upon returning to their classroom for the final time, the newly created Team Fourteen would be one of the first teams collected by their Jounin sensei. The three boys quickly gathered their things and scurried after their sensei as he left the classroom just after he'd called their team number.

The trio was eventually led to Training Ground Thirty-Two and instructed to sit down. As he sat down, Kojimaru took the time to study his new sensei. The man was several inches taller than Kosuke with dark eyes and dark gray hair that he had pulled up in a ponytail on top of his head. He wore the standard shinobi uniform, a green flack jacket, and a sword on his right hip. Cursory inspection complete, Kojimaru returned his eyes to his sensei's face in time to meet the man's gaze for a brief moment.

"My name is Shirakumo Hayama, you may call me Hayama-sensei," Hayama stated once he broke eye contact with Kojimaru. "There are a few rules I need to cover before we do anything else. First rule; when we meet as a team, no matter what we are doing, I expect all three of you to be on your best behavior and to pay attention. You are now shinobi and as such you are representatives of Konoha; meaning that your behavior reflects back on the village and if you screw around, you make our village look bad. That is especially true on missions."

"Second rule; if I tell you to do something, I fully expect you to do it without any whining. If you are unsure of what it is that I am asking to do, you may ask for clarification but I will not tolerate you arguing with me. Any disobedience will be punished and if it becomes a problem, I will have you stripped of your hitai-ate in order to prevent your idiocy from killing me or your remaining teammates. Third and final rule; I expect you to give your all during training and while we are on missions. I won't tolerate any half-assed efforts from you when it comes to improving your skills or doing your job. Any questions?"

"No, Hayama-sensei," all three boys promptly replied in unison.

"Good. What I would like to do now is get to know a little bit about you before I assess your current skill levels. We'll start with the youngest and work our way up in order of age. I want you to tell me your name, one of your hobbies, the skills that you think are your best and worst, and one thing you are interested in learning."

Tenzou let out a sigh, he was just under two weeks younger than Kojimaru and it often irked him because he was taller than the artificial redhead. He then promptly began reciting, "My name is Tenzou. I like to study architecture. I'm best at taijutsu and shurikenjutsu but not that good at genjutsu. I want to learn kenjutsu."

"I'm Kojimaru," Kojimaru began the moment Tenzou finished. "My favorite hobby is camping. I'm very good at all of the survival skills that I learned at the academy and from ojisan. I still need lots of practice on chakra control. And I want to learn kenjutsu too."

"Yamashiro Aoba. I love to read. I am good at genjutsu and shurikenjutsu. I need to work on my taijutsu. And I wish to learn more jutsu."

"Arigatou," Hayama murmured before he gestured for them to stand up. "I want all three of you to warm up and then we are going to run laps long the inside wall of the village. You are to run at a steady jog until your leg muscles burn and you can't catch your breath. Once you reach that point, you are to walk back here to cool down and rest. I need you to push yourself as far as you can without making yourselves sick so that I can get an estimate of your current level of physical stamina."

All three boys cut off a groan in response to the order as they began stretching their leg muscles and doing a dozen or so jumping jacks to loosen the rest of their muscles. Kojimaru and Tenzou then took off at a slow and steady lope in perfect synchronization with Aoba catching up to them a split second later. As they ran through the streets in the direction of the closest stretch of the village's defensive wall, Hayama shadowed them from the rooftops so that he could keep an eye on the trio of Genin without worrying about any of the civilians moving through the streets blocking his view.

Tenzou would be the first one to reach his limit at just over two full circuits around the village. A dozen steps later, Kojimaru also slowed to a stop despite the fact that he knew he could run several more laps due to the way his internal healing ability constantly washed away the muscles strain and fatigue that his body accrued before it could truly affect him. And while Tenzou had gained Kojimaru's internal healing ability thanks to Orochimaru's experiments, Tenzou's ability was a watered down copy with far more limitations to it; which is why he had been the first to reach his limit.

On top of that, Kojimaru's ability had been enhanced by the merging of his chakra and magic, his chakra reserves were more than four times larger than Tenzou's chakra reserves, and his chakra actually replenished itself at twice the rate of normal chakra. In more ways than one, Kojimaru was an anomaly that shouldn't exist in this world and his body didn't quite conform to the rules that governed those that were born in this world. Not that anyone was aware of just what made Kojimaru different since Kojimaru couldn't remember his birth world and the idea that he had come from an alternate dimension never crossed anyone else's mind (not even his own).

So, while Kojimaru could have continued running, he had chosen not to because he was not about to leave his friend behind. He had actually half expected his sensei to bark at him about stopping early but because the Jounin had expected the two younger boys to stop first, the man said nothing about Kojimaru stopping early. After a few minutes to allow Tenzou to catch his breath, the pair began heading back towards the training ground as expected where they would spend a half an hour stretching while the waited for Aoba and their sensei to join them once more.

The moment the other half of their team returned, Hayama-sensei set about testing their taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, chakra control, and evasion skills. He then gave the three of them a short break before he had each of them show him every single jutsu they knew (even if they hadn't mastered the jutsu). That equated to the basic Academy taught jutsu for all three of them plus the Meisai Gakure no Jutsu for Kojimaru and Tenzou; the latter actually surprising the Jounin when he learned that they'd taught themselves that particular jutsu just by watching other shinobi.

Hayama was less surprised when he went to teach the three of them the tree climbing exercise (an exercise that would help him get a feel for the size of their chakra reserves) and learned that both Kojimaru and Tenzou already knew how use Kinobori no Waza. The Jounin had simply set the two six year olds to practicing walking up and down a tree to expand their chakra reserves (not that they needed to) and refine their chakra control while he taught Aoba how to climb the tree using his chakra. Kojimaru struggled with the exercise simply because he had to keep the tree from reacting to his chakra as he walked up and down the trunk; something that he still had trouble doing despite the past two years of training.

The three newly minted Genin would be dismissed the moment it became clear that they were reaching their current limits (the man automatically assuming Kojimaru's limits matched Tenzou's once again) with instructions to meet Hayama back at the same training ground at six sharp the next morning for their first day of training.

The next ten weeks would be filled with nothing but intense training for the trio of boys. During the first week, Hayama focused on their taijutsu; showing them several new katas, teaching them how to fight together as a team so that they didn't get in one another's way, and working to increase their stamina and endurance. At the end of that first week, Hayama-sensei suddenly started looking at Kojimaru and Tenzou differently as he switched the focus of their training to ninjutsu. Or rather, he drilled them endlessly on chakra control and chakra building exercises for two weeks straight before he brought out a pack of chakra paper at their next training session in order to test their chakra affinities.

Hayama demonstrated how to use the slips of paper (revealing his wind affinity) before he tested the Genin. Aoba turned out to have a fire affinity (the most common affinity found in Konoha); his paper catching fire in his hand. Tenzou's test revealed both his earth and water affinities with earth being his strongest; his paper crumbling to dust that became slightly damp. Kojimaru had attempted to get out of performing the test but ended up doing it anyway; his paper splitting into multiple sections that all promptly turned to mud before it froze into a solid lump.

Aoba had been a little jealous that the two younger boys had both demonstrated multiple affinities until he learned that they would be required to do two and three times the amount of elemental training. It helped that Hayama began passing Aoba training scrolls containing a number of new jutsu to learn including; Meisai Gakure no Jutsu, Katon: Endan, and the Shunshin no Jutsu. Kojimaru and Tenzou in the mean time continued practicing to change the nature of their chakra; only they were now being encouraged to practice openly instead of in secret.

After another week of focusing strictly on chakra control and manipulation, Hayama began adding taijutsu and shurikenjutsu practice to their training schedule. He also had them start running laps each morning and evening in order to increase their endurance and stamina. Shortly after Tenzou's birthday and once Aoba could walk up a tree without needing a running start, Hayama taught all three of them Suimen Hokou no Waza at one of the small ponds scattered throughout the village. The moment each of them could remain on the water's surface for at least five minutes, he moved their taijutsu spars onto the water in order to force them to start using the Suimen Hokou no Waza instinctively.

Once they stopped falling into the water during their spars, their taijutsu practice was moved into a special training field that was filled with scattered fallen logs around the section of the river that cut through the middle of the field where they learned to fight in the trees without the danger of falling to their deaths if they fell off of the logs. It also allowed them to learn how to move through the trees while using their chakra to help them stick when they landed and to enhance their jumps as they hopped from log to log.

That of course, led to their daily runs moving from the streets of Konoha to the rooftops and trees once they stopped slipping and falling off of the logs every few minutes. Their water spars were also moved from the still ponds to the river where they had to learn how to account for the shifting currents of the water.

The intense training sessions were brutal on the two six year olds but they never complained; they'd been well prepared for the life of a shinobi by their guardians and Academy instructors. They still fell into bed each night exhausted beyond words and cursing their sensei for being a sadist. Aoba felt much the same way but because he was three years older than Kojimaru and Tenzou, his body was better able to cope with the intensive training schedule – though not by much since the two six year olds had their internal healing abilities to give them a slight advantage over other children their age.

At the end of those first ten weeks, Hayama finally picked up a mission for Team Fourteen. The mission he chose was a simple D Rank Mission to babysit a toddler for three hours in order to test his team's teamwork in a controlled environment. To better simulate a proper escort and protect mission, the three Genin were required to take their client to one of the playgrounds scattered throughout Konoha. To add a level of difficulty to the task, they were charged with preventing the toddler from ruining his clothes or throwing a tantrum.

The mission had been an eye opening experience for all three boys; the toddler running all three boys ragged from the moment they'd collected the boy from his mother. The real shock came after the mission, when Hayama flat out told them that most clients were no better behaved than the toddler had been. That was when they learned that diplomacy was a skill that a smart shinobi cultivated in order to keep the client both happy and biddable during the course of a mission; especially on escort missions where the client's life was their responsibility and a conflict with the client could see both them and their client killed by bandits or missing nin.

Not long after that babysitting job, Team Fourteen began taking two to three babysitting missions per week; for practice and experience. They also took dog walking, gardening, and courier missions within the village (the latter requiring them to play messenger service for various businesses). By the end of September, the team had completed sixteen D Rank Missions on top of their usual training schedule. They would then have two days of light training and two days off before they took their first mission out of the village; a C Rank Courier Mission to a shinobi outpost midway between Konoha and Hi no Kuni's southern border.

The mission would be completed without a single hitch and the round trip between the outpost and Konoha would take a total of six days. During their journey, Hayama-sensei would test all three boys on their survival skills and situational awareness outside of the village. He also worked with them on their tracking and scouting skills in order to get them into the habit of constantly being on high alert the moment they stepped outside of the village walls.

Each night when it was time to set up camp, Hayama would have one of them pick the location of their latest camp. He would then have the three of them help him set up a series of simple warning traps that would announce the approach of any enemies before he tested them on their observational skills; having each one of them recite a list of nearby landmarks that could be used for points of reference, the number of animal tracks they had seen while setting up their traps, and any anomalies that they noticed.

Kojimaru and Tenzou did very well during those tests due to all of the times they'd been camping with Kosuke. Tenzou had also shown an aptitude for trapping while Kojimaru had a knack for picking out the best camping spots. Aoba didn't do too badly during those tests considering that his survival training had been no where near as extensive as the two six year olds. Surprisingly, there was no resentment on Aoba's part over the two six year olds out performing him. Any jealousy he might have felt towards them had been smothered by the weeks of training and working together with the two younger boys and seeing them drive themselves into the ground without any complaints or hesitation.

It helped that the two boys had come to see Aoba as something of an older brother and often followed his lead during the missions because of that. That the two six year olds never bragged about their skills or abilities and that they put just as much effort, if not more, into the team training and missions as Aoba did also helped. Aoba also clearly recalled what had happened to those bullies that had dared pick on either boy and Aoba had no desire to wind up on the receiving end of one of their more humiliating pranks.

Upon returning to Konoha at the end of the mission, Team Fourteen would be given a single day off before they spent seven solid days training. At the end of those seven days, they would be given their second mission outside of the village; this time they were to escort a trio of future Academy students back to Konoha from a shinobi outpost that was close to the Hi no Kuni and Yu no Kuni boarder. They were one of eighteen teams being sent out on similar mission; the village seeking to increase the number of new Genin coming out of the Academy.

Team Fourteen would make it up to the outpost in record time as they spent less time on traveling lessons and more time traveling. They would then rest at the outpost for the night while they waited for the last of their charges to arrive. There was a tense moment the next day when one of the boys they would be escorting back to the village complained about being escorted by babies (the insult directed at Kojimaru and Tenzou). Hayama shut the kid up by telling him he was more than welcome to stay behind when they left; the Jounin refusing to let a potential Academy student disrespect his Genin when there was a chance he would one day work beside the two younger boys on a mission where a lack of teamwork could get one of them killed. Needless to say, the boy didn't make another remark about their age.

They had only been on the road back to Konoha for two days (their pace drastically reduced due to the trio they were escorting being untrained) when their group stumbled into a trio of Iwa scouts.

At the time, Kojimaru had been running point through the trees roughly ten yards in front of his team and their charges on Hayama-sensei's instructions in order to scout for potential threats along their route. It was supposed to just be another practice run since this part of the forest was thought to be secure. Kojimaru never expected to come face to face with an Iwa shinobi that had been climbing the tree he had just landed on in order to scout the surrounding terrain.

The six year old stared at the man for two long heartbeats before he dove backwards off of the tree and let out a piercing whistle (the designated signal to warn the rest of the team of threats if the element of surprise had been lost) to alert his team to the danger. The foreign shinobi cursed out loud and called out to his teammates even as he followed Kojimaru down the tree. Kojimaru had an advantage though; the tree was his to command. A pulse of chakra saw several vines and branches snaking out to tangle up the enemy shinobi chasing him while another tree branch snaked out to grab Kojimaru and sling him into another tree. The delaying tactic would buy Kojimaru ninety-six precious seconds that he used to make his way back to his teammates.

"I ran into an Iwa scout, Hayama-sensei," Kojimaru reported as he landed right in front of the Jounin. "There were at least two others with him and he's right behind me."

"Form up and protect our charges," Hayama ordered as he drew his katana at the same time as the trio of Iwa shinobi burst through the trees. "Be ready to run when I tell you to."

The three Genin silently complied with the order as they each drew a kunai and spread themselves out around the three terrified children. Knowing that Iwa shinobi were rather famous for their doton jutsu, Kojimaru crouched down and slapped his empty left hand against the ground in order to grow a tangle of roots beneath their feet that would make it harder for their foes to burrow beneath them or use that section of earth to attack them. A second sharp burst of chakra then froze the ground solid to further hinder the Iwa shinobi.

"You two deal with the brats; I'll take care of their Jounin," the Iwa shinobi that Kojimaru had startled ordered in a cold voice.

The battle started just seconds later as the first shinobi charged straight at Hayama while the other two split up and moved around Hayama to get to the Genin and their charges. Kojimaru took a deep breath and unleashed a wave of shuriken at the man that was rushing towards him. He followed up his first attack with a kunai affixed with a fake explosive tag that had the man halting his forward motion and flinging himself backwards in an effort to avoid the expected explosion that never came. The feint bought the six year old more than enough time to send out a second wave of shuriken that wasn't as easily deflected or avoided.

That just seemed to piss the man off though as he ran through a series of hand seals before slamming his hands down on the ground as he called out, "Doton: Doryuusou no Jutsu!"

Countless stone spears surged up from the ground around Kojimaru's feet. The stone spikes grew slower than normal though thanks to the roots and frozen ground; giving Kojimaru more than enough time to dodge the death trap and shift the three civilian children further out of danger. The roots of the nearest tree then rose up out of the ground to wrap themselves around the man's feet before they sucked him down into the ground until he was trapped chest deep in the dirt. Kojimaru then dropped his hands to the ground and poured his chakra into the grass and dirt in order to further tie the man up in roots to prevent him from escaping.

Kojimaru let out a growl of frustration when the man he had just captured melted into mud just before the actual man burst up out of the dirt at his feet (Kojimaru no longer standing over the patch of frozen and root laced ground) and punched the six year old in the stomach with a rock covered fist. Pain unexpectedly exploded in Kojimaru's stomach and he let out a sharp cry and coughed up blood as he his feet left the ground with the force of the blow. He was still in the air when a second punch to his stomach doubled the amount of pain he felt and sent him flying backwards.

Tenzou's cry of shock and rage filled Kojimaru's ears for a brief moment before pain blossomed throughout his body once more as he hit the ground hard before he rolled to a stop. Ignoring the pain as best he could, Kojimaru lifted his head in time to see half a dozen beams of wood wrap themselves around the Iwa shinobi that had punched him.

"Are you okay, Kojimaru!?" Tenzou demanded as he dashed around the frightened trio of children to reach the injured six year old's side.

"Hurts," Kojimaru gasped even as he pushed himself up, wrapped one hand over his deeply bruised stomach, and searched for the other two enemy shinobi. "Where's the other…?"

The clash of metal against metal drew both children's attention as they snapped their heads around to find Aoba facing off against the second shinobi. Tenzou rushed off to help their teammate while Kojimaru staggered over to their charges to protect them. The sound of snapping wood soon caught his attention and he whipped his head back around to the man that had punched him to find him breaking free of Tenzou's Mokuton bindings.

Frightened and in pain, Kojimaru relaxed his control over his chakra completely and reached out to the trees once more and this time the branches of a nearby oak grabbed the man and pulled him off of his feet. Additional branches from other trees joined the oak to wrap the man from neck to ankle in thick branches that fused themselves together in order to prevent him from using his strength to break free. A solid punch to the back of the head from a coiled branch would knock the man unconscious at that point. Kojimaru then pulled their three charges back up onto their feet and herded them towards a pair of evergreen trees that were several yards away from both enemies.

As soon as they were standing between the trees, the branches of the two trees wove together around them to form a solid wall even as vines sprouted up from the ground to weave themselves into the living wall. Beneath the ground, the roots of the two trees thickened and shifted to form a tight network of obstacles that would prevent someone from easily digging up under them. The last thing Kojimaru did to secure the small safe house was to freeze the ground as far down as he could to make it even harder for someone to dig through the immediate area.

"Stay together and stay in here while I go help the others keep the Iwa shinobi from finding you," Kojimaru instructed as he climbed up the wall of branches towards the small opening that had been left for him. Once he reached the exit, he turned back to add, "I will come let you out as soon as it is safe."

He ducked out of the refuge as soon as the children nodded their compliance and quickly sealed the exit behind him so no one could sneak into the refuge. Kojimaru then threw himself back into the fight as he provided support to Tenzou and Aoba from the trees while they fought the third shinobi. He didn't dare get too far from the other children even though he was pretty certain that they would be safe where they were. He also knew that his stomach was still healing from the hits he'd taken earlier; his insides bruised deeply and still aching fiercely. In between helping his teammates, Kojimaru would monitor his unconscious attacker and sneak glances at the battle their sensei was fighting with the final Iwa scout.

A small explosion would rock the area nearly twenty minutes later while Kojimaru's eyes were on Hayama-sensei and he jerked his eyes back towards Tenzou and Aoba in fear. His eyes widened in shock when his eyes landed upon the dead body of the Iwa shinobi lying amidst the shattered remains of more of Tenzou's Mokuton beams. The six year old felt the tension leave him when he realized that both of his teammates were still alive and relatively unharmed aside from the cuts and bruises they'd gained during the fight combined with the mild chakra exhaustion.

Kojimaru then turned his attention back to Hayama in time to see the Jounin dodge a large dragon made out of dirt and rocks. The dragon hadn't actually been aimed at Hayama though and Kojimaru felt his insides twist as he realized it was going to hit a semi-exhausted Tenzou from behind. Crying a out a sharp warning to his teammates, Kojimaru threw himself from his perch in the trees so that he landed in between the deadly attack and his best friend as he threw up his hands to stop the powerful avalanche of dirt and rock.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Doton: Doryuusou no Jutsu – Earthen Rising Spears  
>Hi no Kuni – Fire Country<br>Katon: Endan – Fireball  
>Kinobori no Waza – Tree climbing<br>Meisai Gakure no Jutsu – Camouflage Concealment Technique  
>Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique<br>Suimen Hokou no Waza – Water walking  
>Yu no Kuni – Hot Springs Country<p>

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _Now, before someone cries foul about me omitting the 'Genin Test', I purposefully left it out because I do not believe that a military village would waste valuable resources (their shinobi) on a silly test when there is a war going on. I've done the same thing in a couple of my other Naruto crossovers when they fall within the time frame of the Third Great Shinobi War and I will do it again in future ones as necessary. So, please don't tell me how I messed up. Not that I'd listen anyway... I mean, I did warn everyone that I will be playing fast and loose with canon.  
><em>

_Anyway, I'll apologize now for the rather obvious and evil cliffy at the end of the chapter. It was too perfect to resist and that was the way my muse wished to end this chapter. The next chapter will pick up right where this one left off and since I don't wish to see an army of pitchforks and torches headed my way, I'll be sure to toss up chapter 9 tomorrow so all of my lovely readers aren't left hanging on the edges of their seats for too long. =) ~ Jenn_


	9. The Promotion

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Nine: The Promotion<span>

_October 23, 0286 AtD, 1:38 PM  
>Unnamed stretch of forest in Hi no Kuni<em>

Tenzou whipped around and watched as an eight foot tall, ten foot wide, and three foot thick wall of tightly packed ice spikes mixed through with thick roots shot forth from the ground at his best friend's feet to block the dirt and rock construct that had been bearing down on him. Kojimaru then dropped heavily to his knees in exhaustion while a deluge of dirt and rocks swept over the top of his wall and rained down on him. Rushing forward, Tenzou grabbed hold of his best friend and desperately struggled to pull him free of the mud before he could be completely buried. Aoba joined him just two seconds later and together they dragged Kojimaru out of the mud but not before the two of them had been covered from head to toe in dirt and hit with more than a couple of rocks.

"Kojimaru! Kojimaru, answer me!" Tenzou cried frantically as he clutched at his best friend's shirt and tried to ignore the curl of terror that was crawling through his stomach at the mere thought that he'd just lost his friend. "Don't be dead. You can't be dead. You promised to never leave me!"

"M'fine, Tenzou," Kojimaru slurred wearily as his eyes fluttered for a moment before they opened up and focused on Tenzou's face. "Just tired… and still sore."

"Baka," Tenzou fondly rasped in sheer relief as he leaned down to press his dirt covered forehead against Kojimaru's dirt covered forehead as a wave of weakness passed through him. "Why did you do that?"

"You weren't looking, ahou," Kojimaru retorted with weary fondness and exasperation even as his trembling arms snaked around Tenzou's waist to weakly hug him. "I couldn't let you get squashed."

"Boys…? Are the three of you alright back there?" Hayama-sensei demanded from the other side of the dirt coated wall of ice and wood before Tenzou could think of a proper retort.

"Mostly," Aoba called back from somewhere behind Tenzou.

"What happened to the other two enemies?"

"One of them is de…dead and the other one is tied up in the trees," Aoba replied before he spun around and vomited as the knowledge that he'd killed a man hit him hard; the nine year old had been the one to throw the half dozen kunai that carried the exploding tags that had killed the second man after Tenzou had wrapped him up in wood – the older boy had not anticipated the man not being able to dodge or block any portion of the attack and therefore used far more tags than necessary to subdue him.

"Where are our three charges?"

"Kojimaru tucked them up in a couple of trees to keep them safe," Tenzou answered as he glanced back at the unnatural barricade of evergreen branches that held the trio.

"Good job, boys. Are any of you injured?" Hayama asked as he stepped out from behind the ice and root structure that Kojimaru had grown to protect Tenzou and Aoba from the giant earth jutsu that could have killed them; the Jounin dragging the battered and unconscious enemy shinobi he'd fought behind him.

"Just scratched up and bruised a bit, I think," Aoba answered weakly as he wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.

"And exhausted," Tenzou added as he scrubbed at his face and ignored the deep ache of chakra exhaustion that clawed at his nerves now that he no longer had his fear and anger to distract him.

"That is a relief," Hayama murmured as he unceremoniously released his prisoner and made his way over to the trio of battered and bruised Genin. "I'm very proud of all three of you for not panicking and for not abandoning our charges during the fight. Why don't the three of you go check on the other children and keep an eye out for more Iwa scouts while I secure our prisoners."

"Hai, sensei," all three boys murmured in unison.

Tenzou let out a groan as he reluctantly climbed to his feet before he helped Kojimaru stand up. The two six year olds then leaned against one another as they staggered in the direction of the wooden sanctuary where Kojimaru had hidden away the civilian children they were escorting to Konoha. Tenzou could hear Aoba shuffling along right behind them and he felt a thread of worry catch hold of him as he recalled the way he'd activated his Mokuton the moment he'd heard Kojimaru crying out in pain.

"You worry too loud," Kojimaru murmured as the two of them reached the twisted evergreens.

"I used the Mokuton in front of Aoba and the others."

"Yes, you did and I used both of my Kekkei Genkai in front of him too."

"I don't care," Aoba interjected before Tenzou or Kojimaru could say anything further. "I'm just glad the fight is over and that all three of us are alive. Besides, I already knew that Kojimaru-kun could animate the trees; kind of hard to miss the way tree branches would come alive all the time while we were training. Also kind of hard to miss the way the air is always colder around him. Although, a bit of a warning the next time you use it would be nice. I nearly dropped my kunai when I saw you grow those beams of wood!"

"Gomen, I didn't know that would happen when I got angry because I'd never used it before… not like Kojimaru who's been using his Kekkei Genkai for years," Tenzou offered contritely.

Kojimaru pulled away from Tenzou at that point as he placed his hands on the trees that were protecting their charges and softly stated, "We would have told you sooner and used it during training but we're not supposed to talk about it and you can't tell any one now that you know because it's a big secret that no one is supposed to know."

"Is it because you are the last of the Senju?"

"We're not Senju," Tenzou corrected with a shrug. "We'll explain it later once we're back in Konoha."

"Okay."

Tenzou sagged against the trees in response to Aoba's calm agreement and closed his eyes in relief only to jerk upright when he saw a brief flash of the three children they were escorting back to Konoha huddled together in the middle of the tree fort that Kojimaru hadn't yet dispelled behind his closed eye lids. He then stared hard at the trees before he reached out to touch them again and once more saw what was happening inside of the protective barrier of wood.

"Kojimaru…?" Tenzou called shakily as he began breathing faster.

"What, Tenzou?"

"Why am I seeing inside of the trees? Why didn't you tell me that would happen when I touched the trees?"

"Nani…? What do you mean you can see inside of the trees?"

"When I touch the trees, I can see the other kids huddled up inside."

"Weird; nothing like that ever happened to me," Kojimaru replied with a shrug of his shoulders before he closed his eyes and returned his hands to the woven wall of branches and vines.

Tenzou blinked in surprise over that as he would have thought that they would both be able to do the same exact things since they both had the Mokuton. He then frowned as he recalled the rough wooden beams he'd grown from his hands; he'd never seen Kojimaru grow beams of wood like that. Kojimaru usually just made the trees come to life or made them grow bigger.

"Can you grow wood from your body?" Tenzou asked as he watched a couple of the branches of the evergreens start untangling themselves from the vines as Kojimaru encouraged the two trees to form an opening in the strange living fort he'd made.

"Sort of… I can sometimes grow vines that turn into branches but they look nothing like the beams you used earlier."

"Oh. Will you show me when we get home?"

"Hai."

"Thanks," Tenzou murmured before he slipped into the opening that Kojimaru had made and put the differences between his Mokuton and Kojimaru's Mokuton out of his mind as three sets of frightened eyes turned to look at him. "It's okay, we're safe now. The fight is over."

"Are we leaving now?"

"Not yet," Kojimaru tiredly answered as he slipped in behind Tenzou. "We need to rest for a bit so that we will be able to fight in case we run into more trouble."

"I'm scared," the youngest of the three boys (who was still a year older than both of the younger Genin) whimpered.

"Everyone gets scared sometimes," Kojimaru replied as he pulled out a storage scroll and began unsealing everything he would need to make a pot of tea.

Tenzou shook his head over his friend's obsession with tea before he moved to help him. The familiar activity actually helped center both six year olds and the tea itself seemed to help calm down the three untrained civilians. Once the tea was ready, Tenzou slipped out of the fort to pass a cup to Aoba along with one of the tasty energy bars that Kosuke made for them to take on missions for those times when there wasn't time to cook a full meal. The six year old then returned to sit with Kojimaru as they kept their charges occupied in order to keep them from panicking again while their teammate stood guard outside.

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><p><em>October 27, 0286 AtD, 6:21 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru wearily placed one foot in front of the other while he tried to stay focused on the world around him. It was difficult though; he was dog dead tired and wished for nothing more than to crawl into his own bed and sleep for a week or two. His nerves were completely shot as well and the constant stress and fear of waiting for the next team of enemy shinobi to burst out of the ground and attack them had only worn him down further. He'd been flinching at every little sound for roughly four days now and the only thing that kept him from snapping was the professional calm that Hayama-sensei maintained.

Shaking away the cobwebs of exhaustion that clung to his mind, Kojimaru took the time to study the twilight shadowed road in front of him for a long moment before he glanced over his shoulder. The three prospective Academy students that they were escorting back to the village looked even worse than Kojimaru felt; their clothes were filthy and torn, their hair tangled messes, and their faces drawn and haggard from the rough travel. They hadn't complained once though and Kojimaru thought they'd make good shinobi once they had been properly trained; the six year old comparing them to the handful of former classmates that had failed the Genin Exam during the past two years.

His eyes then drifted to Tenzou where his best friend was walking behind the trio. His green turned blue eyes tightened in repressed anger and guilt as he took in the fading bruise that still marred the other six year old's face where a rock had hit the other boy when he'd fished Kojimaru out of the dirt. Tenzou smiled and gave Kojimaru a brief wave before he returned his attention to the forest on either side of the road and Kojimaru automatically waved back though he couldn't quite bring himself to smile in return. He hadn't smiled since the moment he'd run into that first Iwa scout.

Kojimaru turned his eyes back towards the front for a moment as he too checked for potential threats before his eyes made their way back behind him once more. This time, his gaze fell upon the two men that they had taken prisoner. Both men were trussed up with ninja wire and chakra suppression tags to prevent them from escaping. He could feel the air around him growing colder as he recalled the way they had attempted to kill him and his team and Kojimaru forced himself to calm down as he tore his eyes away from them.

His gaze then landed on the zombie-like Aoba. Aoba had not been sleeping very well since the fight; the older boy's dreams haunted with nightmares. He also hadn't been eating very much. It hurt Kojimaru to see his honorary older brother in such pain over the death of their third and final attacker. The six year old couldn't help but blame himself for Aoba's suffering even if he knew, logically, that it wasn't his fault. He just couldn't help but believe that it had been his own failure to focus on the older boy's fight with the enemy that had caused his teammate's pain.

Facing forwards once more, Kojimaru fought down his shame and focused again on his duty to protect their charges even as he vowed to get stronger.

They hadn't gone more than another dozen yards along the road when Hayama-sensei dropped down out of the trees in front of Kojimaru. Kojimaru flinched before he steeled himself and lowered the kunai that had appeared in his hand without his knowledge. He flinched again when his eyes landed on the partially healed cut that ran perpendicular to the right side of Hayama's mouth. He blamed himself for that too. His sensei had been distracted by his warning cry at the end of his (Hayama's) fight and had been injured by his attacker as a result.

"I have good news boys; we're only about a twenty minute walk from the gates of Konoha. In fact, as soon as we round the next bend in the road, you'll be able to see the walls of the village rising above the forest."

"Yokatta," Kojimaru breathed in relief as he almost smiled.

"Yosh! I can already taste Emiko's candied walnuts," Tenzou declared happily.

"Yes, well, your sampling of treats will have to wait until we turn our prisoners over to the AnBu, deliver our charges to the Chuunin on duty at the Academy Dormitories, give the Hokage our report, and stop by the hospital for a medical evaluation," Hayama interjected before the excitement at being home could truly take hold of the two youngest Genin.

Kojimaru grumbled under his breath as soon as the words medical evaluation passed through his sensei's lips; he hated being poked and prodded by the medics. It didn't help that he knew that there was really no reason for him personally to see a medic; his injuries had healed up without a trace by the second morning after the fight (the healing had taken slightly longer than normal because he'd exhausted himself when he'd grown the large wall of ice spikes and roots). He really just wanted to go home, savor a cup of tea while listening to Kosuke-oji tell him about the current state of the garden, and crawl into bed.

"Stop your grumbling, Kojimaru-kun; you know as well as I do that you are required to sit through a medical exam after fighting an enemy on a mission regardless of whether or not you were injured."

"I know, sensei; I still don't like being poked and prodded. Medics are heathens… they only serve weak tea."

Hayama snorted in amused exasperation while Aoba and Tenzou both sniggered over Kojimaru's complaint about the tea that was served in the hospital. While Kojimaru had enjoyed those first few cups that he'd been given, he'd never been satisfied with such a weak tea again after he'd been introduced to real tea by Kosuke.

Twenty-three minutes later, Kojimaru watched as two masked AnBu guards hauled their prisoners off to Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Department. Kojimaru hoped and prayed that he never saw either man ever again. He then promptly turned away from the disappearing pair as he moved to follow Hayama-sensei and the others towards the Hokage tower. They made one brief stop on the way to deliver their trio of charges to the Chuunin on duty at the Academy Dorms that they'd be living in for the next year or two while they took classes at the Academy.

It wasn't long before Team Fourteen was standing in the middle of the Hokage's office giving their report on their escort mission. Kojimaru and Tenzou just listened to their sensei cover everything that had happened after they'd run into the trio of enemy scouts while they leaned against one another and tried not to fall asleep. Most of the report just went in one ear and out the other though; the six year olds far too exhausted to really pay attention to what was being said.

Eventually, the team was dismissed and Hayama led them out of the tower where they immediately ran into an obviously worried Nara Shikaku. The moment the teen saw the two six year olds, he sank in on himself in pure relief before he adopted his usual air of lazy indifference as he approached the group.

"Mendoukusei," Shikaku complained as he slowed to a stop beside Kojimaru and Tenzou. "Okaasan has been worrying herself sick over how late you are; we expected you back three days ago."

"Please extend my apologies to your mother for worrying her," Hayama stated as he briefly glanced down at the two six year olds that Shikaku had yet to take his eyes off of. "Our delay was unplanned and unavoidable."

"Shall I take the two troublemakers off your hands then?"

"I'm afraid that I can't release them into your care just yet; we have a pressing appointment at the hospital."

"Mendoukusei, I was not aware that there was an increase in the amount of bandit activity between Konoha and the northern outposts along the Yu no Kuni borders."

"Not bandits," Kojimaru corrected automatically before he scrunched up his nose and demanded, "How come you are the one that hunted us down? Where's ojisan?"

"Kosuke left on a mission two days ago and he asked me to keep an eye out for you while he was gone. Knowing just how inseparable your and your shadow are, I figured I'd save myself the headache and just collect both of you before I delivered Tenzou-kun to his aunt and uncle," Shikaku explained as he frowned down at the six year old. "Hayama-san, would like a hand escorting your Genin to the hospital for their medical evaluation?"

"Suit yourself," Hayama replied with a shrug of his shoulders as he began shepherding the three Genin towards the hospital once more.

Kojimaru had barely taken two steps when he felt himself being lifted up off of the ground and swung up to sit on Shikaku's shoulders. Tenzou was picked up just as soon as Kojimaru had been settled. Kojimaru let out an indignant huff over being carried (he was a big boy now and a shinobi to boot, thank you very much) before he slouched down and propped his chin on the top of Shikaku's head (his bushy ponytail made for a comfy pillow) as his exhaustion caught up to him once more. Half a dozen steps later, both boys were out cold; Tenzou's head pillowed on Kojimaru's knee.

Kojimaru started awake to the feeling of falling and he gave a sharp cry as he tried to twist around in mid-air only to suddenly find himself being unceremoniously dumped face first into a pillow. Shaking off his disorientation, Kojimaru rolled over and looked up to find Shikaku smirking down at him. He soon realized that he must have fallen asleep while being carried by the teen and he automatically stuck his tongue out at the Nara before he dropped back on the bed and snuggled deeper into the pillow.

"Don't get too comfortable, Kojimaru-kun; the medic will be here in just a moment to start your exam," Hayama-sensei instructed from where he was leaning against the door keeping an eye on all three Genin.

"Hai, sensei," Kojimaru replied in resignation as he pushed himself up once more and glanced around the hospital room until he found both Tenzou and Aoba seated on the beds situated to either side of the artificial redhead.

True to Hayama's prediction, the medic arrived just a scant three minutes later. Kojimaru would then spend the next hour watching the medic first scan Aoba and then Tenzou. The man was just preparing to start Kojimaru's exam when the examination room's door opened once more to admit Yamanaka Inoichi.

"Ah, finally found you! You are one hard team to track down," Inoichi declared as he stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him. The blonde then dug out a scroll and passed it to Hayama as he stated, "Kasai sent me to scan your team's memories of the skirmish you fought against the Iwa scouts you encountered."

"Hokage-sama warned me that Kasai was likely to send someone," Hayama murmured as he broke open the seal on the scroll and quickly read through it. "You can start with either Aoba or Tenzou as Kojimaru is currently in the middle of his medical evaluation."

Kojimaru squirmed uncomfortably as the medic's glowing green hands were pressed to his forehead as the man started his scan; a knot of worry forming in his stomach as he vaguely recalled the first time that Inoichi had peeked at his memories. The tediousness of the medic scanning every inch of his body with a diagnostic jutsu soon pushed all thoughts of the inevitable Mind Delving out of his mind as the man seemed to purposefully hit each and every single one of his ticklish spots. The man would then admonish Kojimaru to stop squirming before hitting the exact same spot a second time.

The six year old swore the man was doing it on purpose.

By the time that the medic had finished scanning Kojimaru for injuries and other health issues, Inoichi had scanned both of his teammates and his sensei's memories of the fight. The six year old didn't even have time to sit up before the long haired Jounin was standing over him. The knot of worry reformed his stomach in an instant as he desperately wished to melt into the bed in order to escape the ordeal.

Inoichi must have seen the fear in his eyes because the teen teasingly asked, "Do I need to bribe you with a cup of tea to get you to hold still?"

"Iie… I'm not falling for that one again," Kojimaru retorted as he scowled up at the man.

"Can't blame a guy for trying, gaki," Inoichi chortled as he poked Kojimaru in the side. "Do try to relax, Kojimaru-kun. I promise that I'm not going to dig into your older memories; I just need to see the encounter from your perspective."

Kojimaru just closed his eyes and scrunched up his nose as he tried to relax. He felt Inoichi's hand settle on his forehead a heartbeat later and he couldn't help but tense up as he felt the teen's chakra flare briefly before he felt the dizzying disorientation of having someone else slip into his mind. He let out a single strangled whine over the feeling before his attention was drawn to the memory that Inoichi was unfurling.

The six year old felt a strong urge to lock away the horrible memory only to jump when Inoichi's voice echoed inside of his head, '_Stop fighting me, gaki; relax, I'm half way done._' Taking a deep breath, Kojimaru tried to blank his mind so he didn't have to watch the memory with Inoichi only to huff when the teen barked at him a second time. '_I said relax, not clear your mind! Now I have to start all over._'

The next time the memory began playing out, Kojimaru bit his lip and held his breath in an effort to ignore it even as the air around him dropped several degrees in his distress. The ordeal was over just a few minutes later and Kojimaru curled into a ball and wrapped his arms around his throbbing skull the moment Inoichi removed his hand from his forehead. His lungs began burning and it took a moment for Kojimaru to remember that he was holding his breath. The six year old took several shuddering breaths at that point as he promptly buried the memory down in the darkest depths of his soul.

"You know, you wouldn't have ended up with a headache if you didn't try to fight me, gaki," Inoichi dryly pointed out as he signaled for the medic to scan Kojimaru's head once more.

"I wasn't trying to fight you. I just didn't want to see the fight again. You said you were going to look at my memories, not make me watch them again. And you barked at me in my mind."

"How odd; it is very rare for someone your age to develop a high enough level of cognitive awareness to allow one to both detect a mental intrusion and get a clear picture of exactly which memories are being viewed by the intruder. I shall endeavor to remember that if there ever comes a time when it becomes necessary for me to view your memories again."

"It also explains his rather extreme reaction to the first time that you used that particular jutsu on the troublesome gaki," Shikaku pointed out from where he was propped up against the wall between Kojimaru's and Tenzou's bed.

"Are you going to be alright, Kojimaru-kun?" Tenzou asked as he slipped off of his bed and scrambled up onto the other bed beside his friend.

"Hai, the pain's already gone," Kojimaru replied before he gave Inoichi a baleful glare as he declared, "You owe me a cup of tea and an order of taiyaki now."

The adults in the room all laughed in response to that declaration. The three Genin were dismissed not long after that and Shikaku took both six year olds home after Inoichi promised to collect Kojimaru's tea and taiyaki after he gave his report to Kasai. Kojimaru would only make it halfway through supper before he dozed off mid-bite; much to the amusement of Shikarou and Shikaku.

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><p><em>October 31, 0286 AtD, 10:30 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru curiously followed his sensei and teammates into the Hokage's office. He grew a little worried when he saw the masked Kasai and a handful of other adults that he didn't know standing about the office. He perked up a bit when his noticed Shikarou in the room and he intentionally stared at the back of man's head until he turned around (the man just as sensitive to the feeling of eyes watching him as his nephew). Kojimaru then cheekily waved hello to the friendly and often lazy clan head. The man snorted in amusement even as he returned the wave. Feeling far better, Kojimaru shuffled into place beside Tenzou as Hayama lined the trio up in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Each time I send a fresh young Genin team outside of Konoha's gates on a mission, I can't help but worry if I made the right decision," the Sandaime began once the three Genin had stopped fidgeting. "My doubts and concerns only grew stronger after the hostilities between Konoha and Iwa escalated to the point where war was declared between our two villages under the knowledge that there is a fifty-fifty chance that I am sending half trained children to their deaths each time I assign just such a mission to a team with less than a year's experience on the force."

"Team Fourteen was one of eighteen such teams that I sent out this month to collect perspective Academy students from the borders of Hi no Kuni and escort them back to the village. Those teams that were sent to potentially hostile areas were selected based upon their experience and ranks while those teams that were sent to what were supposed to have been safe zones were chosen so that they could gain a measure of experience on what should have been harmless escort missions with a low chance of stumbling across a few bandits. It pained me to learn that I had miscalculated the threat level on the mission that I assigned to Team Fourteen."

"I was relieved beyond words when I learned that all three of you survived your unexpected and violent encounter with a group of enemy scouts. I am also very proud of the way all three of you handled the encounter and the courage that you showed in not only facing opponents far older and stronger than you but in standing your ground to protect the three children that had been entrusted to your care. Your bravery and determination did more than just save the lives of your charges; you protected the village by capturing two of your three attackers; something that has allowed us to gain a significant amount of intel on our enemies current plans which will, in turn, save lives."

"After reviewing the mission report and the information collected from your memories of the fight alongside of my most trusted advisors and your Jounin sensei, it has been decided that all three of you shall receive field promotions to the rank of Chuunin. I do not bestow this honor upon you lightly; to do so would be to dishonor you and would inevitably place you in harm's way the moment you were given a mission beyond your current skill level. That said, it is an honor that I feel each of you have earned," the Sandaime finished as he smiled warmly at the three boys.

"Genin Yamashiro Aoba, please step forward," the man with red fang marks on his face intoned as he unsealed a green flack jacket and patiently helped the nine year old into the flack jacket. "Congratulations, Chuunin Yamashiro; wear your flack jacket with pride."

"Arigatou," Aoba murmured as bowed to both the Jounin and to the Hokage.

"Genin Tenzou, front and center," Kasai half barked as he pulled out another flack jacket. "Congratulations, Chuunin Tenzou; wear your flack jacket with pride."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Tenzou replied with a beaming smile as he followed Aoba's example and bowed to Kasai and the Hokage.

"Genin Kojimaru, would you please step forward," Shikarou requested as he unsealed a final flack jacket.

Kojimaru hesitated, his eyes darting between Kasai, the Hokage, his sensei, and Shikarou several times before he felt Tenzou give him a sharp nudge forward. When he did finally move to stand in front of the Nara Clan Head, the man crouched down in front of Kojimaru and gently helped him into the flack jacket. Kojimaru never took his eyes off of Shikarou's face as the heavier than expected protective vest was settled over his shoulders and chest to fall half way to his knees so that he felt like he was swimming in the jacket.

"Congratulations, Chuunin Kojimaru; wear your flack jacket with pride and honor."

Shikarou met his gaze for a brief moment, the man's dark eyes brimming with both pride and sadness. Kojimaru let his eyes fall to the floor as the Nara Clan Head rose to his feet and ruffled Kojimaru's hair before he snuck a glance over his shoulder at his sensei who rolled his eyes and gestured for him to bow and say thank you. He sighed and looked forward once more before he let his gaze meet Kasai's gaze through his flame etched match, his eyes flickering between blue and green for several heartbeats before he looked away again and bowed deeply to the Hokage.

When he straightened up, Kojimaru clutched the bottom edge of his flack jacket as he offered a slightly hoarse and more than a little confused, "Arigatou."

They were dismissed less than a minute later and Kojimaru barely paid any attention to where he was going as he wandered out of the Hokage's office at a far slower pace than his teammates. Just before he passed through the door, the six year old glanced back over his shoulder one last time; his eyes locking briefly with Kasai's before sliding over to Shikarou. He would be pulled out of the room at that point by an exasperated Tenzou and dragged through the hallways by his friend until they reached the exit.

Kojimaru remained ambivalent about his promotion for the next three days and during that time he refused to even wear his flack jacket. On one hand, he felt rather excited about being made a Chuunin since it was proof that he was no longer the frightened little boy he had been nearly three years ago. And at the same time, he worried that Kosuke would be angry or disappointed in him. Or worse, that his promotion would hurt his godfather; who himself was still a Genin.

Four days after being promoted to Chuunin, Kosuke returned from his mission and Shikaku escorted a nervous Kojimaru home. The Nara heir then spilled the beans both about the reason why Kojimaru's team had been late in returning home and about the six year old being promoted to Chuunin alongside both of his teammates. Kosuke was proud of Kojimaru and more than a little relieved that Team Fourteen had survived their encounter with the Iwa scouts mostly unharmed, though the six year old could see the same inexplicable sadness that had lurked in Shikarou's eyes in his godfather's eyes.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Ahou – fool  
>Arigatou (gozaimasu) – Thank you (very much)<br>Baka – idiot  
>Gaki – brat<br>Hai – yes  
>Iie – no<br>Mendoukusei – how troublesome, what a drag, or this sucks (Shikamaru's catch phrase)  
>Yokatta – What a relief or thank god<br>Yosh – okay/all right (an exclamation)

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><p><strong>11-09-14:<strong> _Chapter updated to fix a grammatical error in my Japanese. A big thanks to TykiTavi for catching the mistake and providing the correct word. ~ Jenn  
><em>


	10. The Training

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten: The Training<span>

_November 05, 0286 AtD through May 28, 0288 AtD  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Acceptance over his promotion from Kosuke saw Kojimaru finally accepting his promotion and from that day forward, he wore his flack jacket with a quiet pride when the opportunity arose; which wasn't often though, because he practically swam in the thing and it tended to hinder him when he was sparring or training. Even Tenzou's flack jacket fit him better because the younger boy was several inches taller than Kojimaru. Aoba often teased him about playing dress-up with an adult's flack jacket whenever Kojimaru wore it.

Aside from their new protective accessories and the fancy titles to go with them, nothing really changed for Team Fourteen; they still trained hard and took missions several times a month. The only real difference was the number of outside missions that their team took; their promotion to Chuunin and their handling of the unexpected attack equating to them being good enough to take those missions that had a slightly higher chance of going wrong.

On the other hand, Tenzou and Kojimaru's private training was taken to the next level since they would be leaving the village more often.

Tenzou was now learning how to wield the true Mokuton while Kojimaru was working to control how much chakra he poured into the seal-less Hyouton and Mokuton formations he made when emotional and how to make them intentionally when he wasn't desperate, frightened, angry, or in pain. His godfather had attempted to teach him some of the same jutsu that Tenzou was being taught a year earlier but Kojimaru's Mokuton had unknowingly been corrupted by his magic; making all of the Senju scrolls he'd been given practically worthless unless he could modify them to work with his corrupted version of the Mokuton.

Both six year olds would still spend their free time training together but those clandestine training sessions had now come to include Aoba. Their older teammate had been floored when they'd told him about their pasts shortly after they'd returned to Konoha and just before their collective promotion after swearing the nine year old to secrecy. The fact that they'd previously hidden so much from their teammate could have created a wedge between the three of them but instead the revelation actually brought them even closer together because they trusted him enough to share those secrets with him when they could have kept silent on the matter.

During those training sessions, all three Chuunin worked on their nature transformation exercises, worked to integrate Tenzou and Kojimaru's Kekkei Genkai into their team fighting style, and pushed one another to grow stronger as they uncovered each other's less obvious weaknesses. After the first month of those clandestine training sessions, even Hayama began to notice the improvement of their teamwork and collaborative fighting style. Three months after that, their sensei secretly followed them to one of their after-training training sessions and crashed the session the moment he learned what they were up to.

That saw their off-schedule training sessions becoming slightly more structured as Hayama gave them specific exercises and goals to work on. He also occasionally supervised those training sessions in order to keep track of their progress and give them new goals the moment they reached the previous goal. The only thing that the Jounin didn't approve of was the way that Kojimaru and Tenzou were both sneaking about behind their guardians' backs in order to train together using their Kekkei Genkai when he knew that they weren't supposed to be doing so.

That had shamed the two young Chuunin into individually confessing to their respective guardian about their joint training sessions and the news that the other knew about their Kekkei Genkai. What followed was a huge meeting between Kosuke, Kisuke, Hayama, and both boys where Kosuke and Kisuke were both shocked to learn that both boys had been part of Orochimaru's experiments. Instead of getting angry that the six year olds had hidden the fact that they'd known about each other from the very beginning, they were praised for keeping the secret and helping one another.

Shinobi were supposed to be sneaky and secretive, after all.

Kasai, when he learned about that little meeting, was quite put out at first. After giving the matter some consideration, he saw the benefits in having people aside from himself and the two absent Sannin still loyal to the village being aware of both boys; there was never any guarantee that he would survive the war, after all, and someone would have to keep an eye on the boys. That didn't stop him from making plans to separate the pair the moment they were promoted to Jounin or if they joined AnBu at any point after they turned ten. He had been tempted to split them up right after they had been promoted to Chuunin but it was rather stupid to split up a cohesive team while in the middle of a war.

Over the course of the next year and a half, Team Fourteen would grow in both skill and reputation (slight though the latter was); their team well known for both running into trouble on more than half of their missions and for never failing a mission no matter how much trouble they ended up in. More and more often, the missions they were sent on were the escort missions between Konoha and the various outposts; escorting supplies, civilians, important documents, and Academy students in and out of the village. Their team would also capture several more Iwa scouts and small assault squads during those missions as Iwa began pushing deeper into Hi no Kuni.

Kojimaru and Tenzou were hard pressed to keep their Kekkei Genkai secret during that time; especially during those missions where they ran into bandits or enemy shinobi. Keeping the captured enemies and criminals silent was a fairly easy matter; they were all either executed after being interrogated or their memories were carefully sealed by AnBu or altered by a Yamanaka before they were sent to prison or used in hostage exchanges (the latter only applying to prisoners of war). Civilians and clients were far harder to deal with since they couldn't be silenced in the typical way.

That security risk (since both of the young Chuunin were still somewhat vulnerable due to their age), would eventually be dealt with by Aoba; the older boy seeking specialized training from the T and I Department and the Yamanaka Clan in order to learn how to view, seal, erase, and manipulate memories in order to protect his teammates. The moment that Yamanaka Inohiko determined that Aoba was skilled enough (after six months of intensive training), that ability saw Team Fourteen shifting from an escort team to a capture and interrogation squad that was loosely affiliated with the T and I Department since Aoba's lessons hadn't stopped just because he was deemed adequate (though they would still be assigned courier and escort missions from time to time as well).

Kojimaru and Tenzou were the ones responsible for capturing their targets, Aoba would handle the field interrogations and memory modifications, and Hayama was their team's heavy fighter.

Shortly after the shift in their team's job description, another member was permanently assigned to their team in the form of Kanden Tekuno; a Jounin level shinobi that specialized in heavy explosive artillery and traps and an old teammate of their sensei's. Tenzou quickly fell in love with traps all over again after watching Tekuno trap five miles of forest over the course of a few hours and seeing those same traps incapacitate two squads of Iwa Chuunin that had managed to outflank Konoha's forces on the front lines. The Jounin wouldn't hesitate to take Tenzou under his wing to teach him an assortment of high level traps (with Hayama's consent).

Additionally, they were also assigned a part time member in the form of Kojimaru's godfather; Maruboshi Kosuke. As the lowest ranked adult on their squad, Kosuke was often left in charge of guarding their base camp while Hayama-sensei and Tekuno worked with the three boys to capture their targets. The first time Kosuke had been assigned to join their team on a mission, Kojimaru and Tenzou were torn between being mortified and ecstatic; they loved camping and training with Kosuke but they feared being treated like children while on a mission. The two boys needn't have worried; Kosuke had no problem keeping his personal relationship with the two boys out of the mission as he focused on his task in order to not distract the two boys from their assigned tasks.

Having his godfather nearby actually saw Kojimaru pushing himself harder during missions; the child afraid of disappointing his guardian or worse, being the reason that his guardian was injured during a mission. And, like his two teammates, Kojimaru found an area that he wished to focus on.

Due to his dual elemental Kekkei Genkai, Kojimaru was always going to be a heavy ninjutsu user; he had access to three of the five main elements, after all, and could wield two sub elements. His larger than average chakra reserves only increased his effectiveness as a ninjutsu user (though his reserves fell well short of the infamous Uzumaki clan at the moment). The pint sized Chuunin had no wish to limit himself to just ninjutsu though; even if he was slowly building up an impressive array of elemental based ninjutsu.

To that effect, Kojimaru turned to weapons instead. Specifically, he looked to create weapons out of the elements that he could wield. The reason for that was the idea that he would never run out of sharp and pointy things to throw and fight with so long as he still had chakra in his body. It also meant that he could reduce the weight of his utility kit by discarding most of his metal tools, which would give him more room to carry other essential supplies (such as a more extensive medical kit, extra food, ninja wire, and various seal tags).

Kosuke arranged for Kojimaru to take lessons from one of the village's best weaponsmiths when he first learned what Kojimaru wanted to do. During those lessons, he was taught the bare basics of blacksmithing (including smelting, forging, and welding) in order to give him a solid grounding in the process of creating weapons (and other items) from metal. He was then taught to make senbon, shuriken, and kunai (the three most common throwing weapons that were used by shinobi everywhere) as well as a small assortment of basic farming equipment (such as shovels). Once he was deemed competent enough at making the three basic shinobi weapons, he was taught how to make ninja wire, lock picks, makibishi, and small shields.

He would not be taught how to make swords, axes, and other large weapons or tools until after his ninth birthday.

Those lessons were then modified and applied to his Kekkei Genkai in order to create useable weapons. Once he succeeded in recreating useable throwing weapons out of wood and ice, Hayama would teach him how to make them sharper using wind natured chakra, how to make them stronger using earth natured chakra, and how to use water natured chakra to eliminate the Hyouton and Mokuton's weakness to fire. Kojimaru would practice creating weapons every chance he got and as soon as he reached the point where he could form a single weapon with a mere though, he began working on creating hoards of them in the shortest amount possible.

It would take Kojimaru nearly a full year before his ice and wood throwing weapons could be used in a fight outside of training. Their use in a fight would soon become both irritating and effective as he aimed, not to kill, but to distract his opponents in order to goad them into leaving themselves open to his teammates and to his tree manipulation attacks. His Mokuton grown weapons in particular could be extremely debilitating when they hit their marks because Kojimaru could make them grow and come alive without needing to be near them due to the fact that they were both created from and saturated in his chakra.

That didn't mean that his wood and ice creations weren't deadly; they were. He was still young enough that the thought of killing his opponents bothered him though. In fact, he still disliked killing animals; even though he willingly hunted small game mammals and birds for food when on missions. The fact that most animals (wild or domesticated) tended to approach him of their own free will except when they simply ignored him (grumpy wild cats not-withstanding) only made him feel worse about killing them for food. Tenzou usually offered to do the hunting because of that; the taller boy looking to spare Kojimaru the pain of killing a helpless animal.

Hayama and Tekuno learning that Kojimaru could command his created wood from a distance in turn led to the creation of specialized splinter bombs towards the end of that eighteen month period. Loosely based off of the standard issue exploding tags and smoke bombs, the splinter bombs were filled with hundreds of tiny splinters that were half the length of sewing needles, sharp on both ends, and slightly barbed to make them harder to remove. The splinters were packed around a small core of gunpowder within the tennis ball sized bomb that, when activated, would expel the needles outwards with a low level explosion.

The splinters were often seen and treated as annoying irritants by their opponents rather than the threat they were. After all, it only took one splinter to mark a target and it didn't matter if it was lodged in skin or fabric. That single splinter could then be used to grow highly effective bindings that were nearly as hard to cut through as standard ninja wire (courtesy of Kojimaru's lessons in making real ninja wire). In that way, a single splinter bomb could, theoretically, take down an entire enemy camp or army with minimal risk; though that tactic didn't always work on higher level shinobi.

As effective as the splinter bombs were, they were not actually a practical device to use in every single fight. Each bomb had to be made by hand, took roughly three months to make, and required insane amounts of chakra because each splinter had to be grown, shaped, and saturated with Kojimaru's chakra. Meaning that creating a large supply of them would likely cripple, if not outright kill, Kojimaru through chakra exhaustion alone. Still, they made an excellent trump card when their team was outnumbered and backed into a corner and he could safely make up to four per year, if he was careful.

About the same time that Hayama and Tekuno learned about Kojimaru's ability to grow his splinters from a distance, both boys discovered that they could merge themselves into both living trees and dead wood. With practice, they would eventually be able to take people with them into the wood by covering their passengers with a thin layer of their chakra. That was also about the time that Hayama learned that Kojimaru's physical stamina and endurance levels were four times higher than he originally believed they were due to his immense chakra reserves and his internal healing ability.

That was something that had irked the Jounin when he first discovered it; if only because Kojimaru had been holding himself back in order to not outshine or outpace Tenzou. The only reason Kojimaru didn't get into any serious trouble over that was because he'd never approached their training or their missions half-assed; he'd just hid his full potential from Hayama for well over a year after they'd become a team. There was also the fact that hiding his true stamina had prevented their sensei from accidentally pushing Kojimaru too hard, too soon while he was still so young.

By the time a full eighteen months had come and gone, Team Fourteen had become a well oiled machine; each member of the small squad able to perform their assigned duties in their sleep. The children (and they were very much still children despite their rank and skills) still had a long ways to go before they would be considered elite shinobi but they were well on the road to becoming formidable shinobi. Their reputations would only continue to grow before the end of the war, though they would never become as well known as the likes of Namikaze Minato or Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

><p><em>May 28, 0288 AtD, 8:15 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru launched himself off of the last rooftop on the street with a loud whoop and a laugh that drew nearly every eye in the immediate area upwards as the seven and a half year old dropped like a rock from above. A second whoop followed as Tenzou threw himself from the rooftops next and the pedestrians all rolled their eyes as they finally noted the blue headbands and metal plates secured around both boys' foreheads; crazy ninjas. Kojimaru landed with catlike grace before he dashed forward to where Hayama-sensei and Tekuno were waiting for them by the gate with Tenzou following along a heartbeat later.

"One of these days, the two of you are going to give one of the civilians a heart attack if you keep flinging yourself off of the buildings like that," Tekuno stated in an exasperated tone as he shook his head.

"They should be used to it; all of the shinobi do it," Tenzou quipped as he skidded to a stop nearly on top of Kojimaru.

"Yes, but you two are the only ones that draw their attention to it because for some reason your voices grow louder the moment your feet leave the ground," Hayama deadpanned as he gave the two boys an exasperated look.

"That's because it's fun to chase the wind," Kojimaru solemnly stated before he burst into a round of giggles. "It's almost like flying."

"Ah, so we finally have an explanation as to why you are always caught up in Hayama-sensei's wind attacks during our training sessions," Aoba teased as he walked up behind the two younger boys and gave them both a noogie. "You let him hit you with a blast of wind because you love flying."

"Absolutely! And it's the same reason I let you throw me around during our spars."

"Hayama-sensei, I believe Kojimaru-kun is past due for a thorough mental evaluation. He is obviously delusional if he thinks that the only reason I toss him around is because he allows me to catch him during our spars."

Hayama just shook his head and snorted before he grew serious and asked, "Are the three of you ready to go?"

"Hai, sensei," all three Chuunin replied in unison as all signs of playfulness vanished in an instant.

"Good, let's get moving."

The two adults and three children walked out the gates just seconds later and immediately took to the trees as they automatically shifted into a diamond formation with Tenzou on point, Aoba at the rear, Kojimaru in the very center, and Hayama and Tekuno at either side. As they traveled swiftly and silently through the trees in a southwesterly direction, all five shinobi paid close attention to their surroundings; their eyes constantly searching for obstacles, navigational landmarks, and potential threats.

It would take the five of them two and a half days to reach the southernmost shinobi outpost on the border between Hi no Kuni and Kawa no Kuni. They would stay just long enough to deliver a handful of storage scrolls (holding letters from the loved ones of the shinobi posted there, fresh supplies that could not be found or bought from nearby villages, and the latest orders from the Hokage) and collect the sealed reports that needed to be handed back to the Hokage and return letters to friends and loved ones. Team Fourteen would then work their way north along the border to the next outpost (which was only a two hour run from the first one).

They would hit all twenty of the outposts stationed along the Kawa no Kuni border over a period of five days before they rested overnight at the twentieth outpost. The team would leave just before dawn the next morning and spend the day checking in at the three of the outposts that sat along the Hi no Kuni and Sawa no Kuni border. A full day of rest would be spent at that final outpost to give the three Chuunin time to recover from their grueling journey along southern and southeastern borders of Hi no Kuni. Team Fourteen would then once again set out before dawn on the seventh of June to make their way back to Konoha with the reports they had collected from the various outposts.

The five of them had barely been on the move for three hours when they came across a severely injured Konoha Chuunin. It was quite obvious from the teen's appearance that he had been tortured and left for dead; what little skin they could see that wasn't covered in burn marks or infected lash marks was covered in a mottled collection of old and new bruises and made it near impossible to identify the teen. Tekuno rushed to the teen's side to check for signs of life and check for hidden traps while Hayama signaled for Aoba to secure the immediate area before the Jounin-teichou took Kojimaru and Tenzou with him to search for any signs of the teen's torturers by following the teen's back trail (and to keep them from dwelling on the injured Chuunin's condition – but they didn't know that).

Tenzou would be the first one to spot the day old tracks of a small group of Iwa shinobi near the end of the trail; the soles of the other village's shinobi sandals leaving a distinct pattern behind due to the circular treads that were designed to grip rock (Tsuchi no Kuni filled with giant rock and stone formations, lots of dirt, and very little vegetation). Shortly after that discovery, they would find the abandoned base camp that the enemy had used roughly an hour's travel from where the injured teen had been found. Exploration of the base involved clones in case of traps before Hayama set the boys to scouting the edge of the camp.

Kojimaru would have the misfortune of being the one to stumble upon the remains of the teen's teammates just a short ways away from the earthen shelter that was the abandoned base; literally. And while the not quite eight year old had been desensitized to death long before he finished the Academy, that didn't mean he was unaffected by the brutalized remains of the two teens.

He'd been searching the perimeter of the camp for tracks that might belong to the injured Chuunin's missing teammates when he lost his footing on a rock buried beneath a loose patch of dirt. Unprepared for hidden rock shifting out from under his feet without warning, he tripped over his feet as he overcompensated for the loss of balance and landed face to face with one of the dead teens. It was not a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination. He didn't scream like a sissy or bawl like a baby but he did give a soft, sharp cry of distress the moment the smell hit him and he realized what he was seeing half buried in the ground between the roots of a knarled oak tree.

"Are you alright, Kojimaru?" Hayama inquired as he deftly picked the frozen Chuunin up by the back of his shirt and set him back on his feet a few yards away from the poorly buried bodies; the Jounin had rushed to his side the moment he heard him cry out. Kojimaru jerkily nodded an affirmative as his eyes remained fixed on the face of the dead teen he'd nearly kissed when he'd fallen. Hayama eyed him critically for a moment before he instructed, "Alright, go stand watch with Tenzou while I take care of this."

Kojimaru nodded again and tore his eyes away from the dead body as he hurried away from the crude grave while suppressing the urge he felt to empty his stomach. Tenzou gripped his arm in a silent offer of comfort the moment he reached his friend's side and Kojimaru gave him a wane smile that was more of a grimace before he turned his attention to the forest and opened his senses to the world around him. He gained another small measure of comfort when he felt the forest's soothing presence wash over him and heard nothing but the sounds of nature.

Ten minutes later, the quiet poof of two storage seals being activated sounded one right after another just before Hayama ordered, "We're done here; let's head back to others. Keep your eyes and ears open for any sign of the enemy; now is not the time to grow careless."

"Hai, sensei," Tenzou replied while Kojimaru just nodded yet again; the artificial redhead sinking into one of his familiar silences due to his lingering discomfort over coming face to face with the dead.

The three of them took to the trees and circled wide in order to avoid any potential ambushes that might have been set up along their original path (on the off chance that there were Iwa shinobi still in the area). They made it back to the others without incident and Hayama flared his chakra sharply three times in rapid succession to let the others know they had returned unharmed and un-pursued. Tekuno flared his chakra twice in reply; an indication that both he and Aoba were also unharmed and that their current position was uncompromised.

The trio would drop out of the trees a moment later and approach the others on foot at that point. Kojimaru and Tenzou automatically gravitated towards Aoba while Hayama went to speak with Tekuno and check on the status of the first teen they had found.

"Did you find anything?" Aoba asked in a low voice that wouldn't travel far.

"Hai," Tenzou replied in kind as he shot Kojimaru a worried glance. "We found a hastily abandoned Iwa camp not far from here."

"Did you find his missing teammates?"

Kojimaru flinched sharply and half turned away from his teammates in response to the question. The diminutive Chuunin shifted uncomfortably when he felt Tenzou's concerned gaze fall on him as a result. He shrugged his shoulders a heartbeat later in response to the unspoken question he could see in Tenzou's eyes and focused his attention on the forest again as he half listened to Tenzou answer the question.

"Yeah, I think Kojimaru did."

"Were they…?"

"Sensei sealed whoever it was that Kojimaru found into a pair of black scrolls."

"Oh."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the three Chuunin at that point and Kojimaru felt his stomach twist again as he recalled the putrid scent that had clung to the dead teen he'd practically landed on. He then shivered and half curled in on himself as his mind traitorously painted the memory of the dead Chuunin with the faces of his teammates. It took a supreme effort on Kojimaru's part not to give into the urge to puke his guts out in response to the waking nightmare.

He wasn't stupid and he was not some naïve little Genin fresh out of the Academy; he knew it just as easily could have been his team that had been captured and tortured. There had been a number of close calls where it had nearly been his team in that position. The only reason they hadn't ended up in that position was due to sheer luck and the hidden trump cards that were his and Tenzou's Kekkei Genkai. That knowledge only made Kojimaru feel even sicker; his very soul rebelling against the mere thought that he owed his life to Orochimaru's cruelty.

"We don't owe him anything," Tenzou murmured as he reached out to touch Kojimaru's elbow; his best friend knowing him well enough to quickly and easily trace the direction Kojimaru's thoughts had taken. "He didn't make us. He only hurt us."

Kojimaru relaxed a bit and briefly leaned against his friend in silent thanks before he straightened up and brought his skittering emotions back under control. Equilibrium found (tenuous though it was), Kojimaru once more focused his attention on the mission; which now included protecting their injured comrade and keeping an eye out for the teen's torturers. They couldn't afford to be careless; not when they held the injured teen's life in their hands on top of the twenty-three storage scrolls containing important reports from the outposts that they had visited during the course of their mission.

Normally, a different team would be dispatched to each outpost in order to avoid painting a huge target on any one team but the number of qualified, able-bodied teams that had been available to undertake those missions had been drastically reduced over the course of the last three years. There was also the fact that most of their forces were tied up in keeping the main Iwa force from sweeping through Hi no Kuni unopposed. Team Fourteen was actually one of seven teams that ran back and forth between the outposts and the village on a regular basis when they weren't hunting down specific targets to capture.

In fact, the injured teen they had stumbled upon was had been a member of one of the other six teams; a team that had obviously run out of luck on their latest mission. Meaning that there was a high likelihood that any reports they had been carrying at the time they'd been ambushed were in the hands of the enemy and that they had potentially spilled any and all information they had known in regards to the war, the position of the outposts, troop movements, and Konoha's defenses. That realization was enough to make Kojimaru shiver; many lives and possibly the entire war could be lost if the enemy had gotten their hands on any sensitive information.

"Tenzou, can I get you to grow us a sturdy stretcher just long and wide enough to hold the injured teen?" Hayama asked at that moment, his voice cutting through Kojimaru's worry like a hot knife through butter.

"Hai, sensei," Tenzou agreed as he hurried forward to comply with the request after shooting another concerned look in Kojimaru's direction.

"Thank you, Tenzou-kun," Hayama replied before he turned to Kojimaru and beckoned him forward with one hand while stating, "Kojimaru-kun, I need you to come here for a moment."

The soon to be eight year old didn't hesitate to move forward as he silently held his sensei's gaze while waiting for the Jounin to speak. To his surprise, Hayama lifted the messenger bag holding all of the outpost reports and the two black scrolls containing the dead bodies they'd found off of his shoulder and settled it over Kojimaru's chest before he crouched down so that he was at eye level with the diminutive Chuunin.

"We are nearly two days' travel out from Konoha and even if it was possible to move the injured teen, our pace would be drastically reduced due to the extent of his injuries. We need to get him to nearest outpost in order to get him the medical help he needs or he is going to die and we will never find out what happened to his team and the reports they were collecting from the other outposts. The problem is that we also need to get the reports that we collected and the news that one of the other collection teams had been captured and interrogated back to the Hokage as fast as humanly possible to prevent the enemy from using any of the information that they may have gleaned from Team Taka to their advantage."

"Out of everyone on the team, you have the best chance of getting to the village in the shortest amount of time possible due to your above average stamina, high chakra reserves, and healing ability. You are also the member of the team that is most at home in the forest and I know that I can trust you not to get lost amongst the trees the moment you leave the road. If there was any other option I could take that would both keep us all together and get the job done, I would not ask this of you but we don't have the time to find an alternative right now."

"Sensei…?" Kojimaru asked in confusion as he automatically reached up to clutch the strap of the messenger bag.

Hayama closed his eyes for a moment before he reopened them to search Kojimaru's eyes intently before he replied, "I need you to be brave, Kojimaru. I need you to run straight to the village as fast as you can without stopping to rest if at all possible. Can you do that for me? Can you put aside your fear and hurry back to Konoha alone in order to warn the Hokage about the misfortune that befell Team Taka?"

Kojimaru swallowed thickly as his eyes grew so wide it felt like they might fall out. He then clenched his jaw and snuck a quick look at an equally wide eyed and worried Tenzou (who had overheard Hayama's words and request). He then met his sensei's gaze once more and nodded.

"Thank you, Kojimaru," Hayama murmured as he stood up. "Take a moment to check your supplies before you head out." The Jounin's hand trembled slightly as he briefly rested one on Kojimaru's head. "Be safe, Kojimaru-kun."

"Ha…hai, sensei."

Kojimaru's hands shook slightly as he quickly checked his utility pouch, shuriken holder, and pockets to make certain that he still had all of his supplies. He then double checked to make certain the top flap of the messenger bag had been securely fastened so that he wouldn't lose any of the reports. That done, he glanced up and over to meet Tenzou's gaze for a moment before he swung around to glance in Aoba's direction. The seal hiding his eyes briefly faltered in response to his churning emotions before he turned his back on his team at that point and took off towards Konoha at a sprint.

He'd barely gone ten yards before he took to the trees where he immediately moved up into the higher, flimsier branches where it would be harder for grown men to follow him. It also allowed him a clearer view of the sky so that he could use the stars and the sun as a guide. Not that he really needed a guide seeing as how a part of him was so intertwined with the forest that he instinctively knew which way was home no matter where he was within Hi no Kuni. However, it gave the child soldier a small measure of comfort to use the skills that his godfather had taught him over the past four years.

As the sun began sinking towards the horizon, Kojimaru pushed his body to move faster as he did his best to ignore the fact that he was completely alone. At the same time, he pushed his senses out as far as he could; straining both his eyes and ears in order to avoid potential threats. All around him, the trees stirred restlessly; as if they could sense his disquiet, desperation, and determination through the strange yet comforting connection he shared with them.

All through the night, Kojimaru ran hard and fast; his little legs launching him from the branches time and time again while his corrupted chakra constantly circulated through his body to reduce his fatigue and muscle strain. He would cut through the camps of more than one team of shinobi (both friendly and hostile) but few of them would ever take notice of his passing. The wind and the trees masking his presence from all but the most accomplished sensor.

Kojimaru never once considered stopping or going around any of the camps he passed through; his orders had been to run straight to the village and that was what he was going to do. He didn't even bother to slow down long enough to grab something to eat or drink from his supplies. That was probably a good thing, though; since it meant he also wouldn't have to stop to answer the call of nature.

Fourteen and a half hours after parting from his team, Kojimaru threw himself from the uppermost branches of the last tree within ten yards of Konoha's main gate. He nearly ended up kissing the ground as he stumbled upon landing on the unforgiving hard packed dirt road that led into the village after having spent more than half a day moving through the flexible tree branches of the surrounding forest. Shaking off his less than graceful landing, Kojimaru resumed his full out sprint at the same time as he flared his chakra in the required pattern to identify himself as both a Konoha shinobi and as the carrier of critical information.

The gate guard flared his chakra once in acknowledgement and Kojimaru flew through the gates without a word. His chosen path would soon take him up to the rooftops in order to avoid getting caught in the crowds that were moving through the streets of Konoha. He quickly crossed the length of Konoha and began flaring his chakra once more as he launched himself off the roofs and over top of the protective curtain wall that surrounded the Hokage's tower in order to prevent his approach from being mistaken as an assassination attempt by the AnBu Guards on duty.

His feet barely touched the ground as he crossed the courtyard before he was racing up the side of the building as he aimed straight for the window to the Hokage's office. Just before he would have crashed through the glass, the Hokage himself opened the window to let him in and Kojimaru dove through the open space headfirst. The almost eight year old Chuunin curled into ball just before he hit the floor rolling and tumbled to stop up against the Hokage's desk. Stunned and seeing stars due to his reckless entrance, Kojimaru simply closed his eyes and panted as he sat with his legs folded over his head and his chin pressed uncomfortably into his chest.

Once he was no longer quite so dizzy, Kojimaru rolled over and hauled himself to his feet using the Hokage's desk while pulling off the messenger bag at the same time. He then unceremoniously dumped the sealed bag on the desk (knocking off a large stack of paperwork) and drew a deep breath before he blurted out, "Chuunin Kojimaru from Team Fourteen reporting in with an urgent message from the borders. After successfully completing our mission to collect the reports from those outposts stationed along the borders of Kawa no Kuni and Sawa no Kuni, Team Fourteen stumbled upon the only surviving member of Team Taka."

"The barely identifiable Chuunin was in critical condition and covered in burns, lacerations, and bruises that were consistent with the injuries inflicted through torture. Team Fourteen split up directly after finding the teen; half of the team tending to the dying teen and the other half to search for the teen's teammates and their attackers. I was part of the search party and after following the Chuunin's back trail, we located evidence that he'd been a prisoner of an Iwa patrol in the form of an abandoned Iwa camp and several tracks. The bodies of two teens that were identified as the Chuunin's teammates were found half buried and already in an advanced state of decay just outside of the camp."

"No trace of the fourth member assigned to the team was found nor were we able to recover any reports the team had collected prior to their being captured. Hayama-sensei identified and sealed the two corpses and our group returned to the others at that point. After determining that the Chuunin's injuries were too severe to rush him back to Konoha, Hayama-sensei made the decision to head to the nearest outpost in search of medical aide for the Chuunin and sent me to deliver the reports we'd collected over the course of our mission and to warn you of Team Taka's fate."

"Where was the Chuunin found?" the Hokage demanded even as he sent two of his AnBu guards rushing from the room to gather reinforcements and a couple of other key individuals.

"Three hours out from the northernmost outpost on the Hi no Kuni and Sawa no Kuni border. The Iwa camp was roughly an hour's walk directly to the east of that location. The Chuunin's trail leading towards the Iwa Camp was over eighteen hours old and the tracks found in and around the base indicated that it had been abandoned for at least twenty-four hours before we arrived."

"How long ago did you part company with the rest of your team?"

"Approximately fifteen hours ago, Hokage-sama; Hayama-sensei ordered me not to stop for anything and to get here as fast as I could," Kojimaru answered as he swayed on his feet a bit as exhaustion began creeping up on him.

"Sit down," the Sandaime ordered as he walked around his desk and steered Kojimaru to the couch at the back of the office. "Do you have any protein bars or travel rations on you?" Kojimaru numbly nodded as he gratefully sank into the couch's soft cushions; his entire body now tingling as his chakra network alerted him to the fact that his reserves had been dangerously depleted during his frantic all night flight. "Then I want you to eat a couple of them and sip some water while I send for a medic to check you over."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Kojimaru automatically murmured in reply as he slumped over and passed out before he could comply with the order; the child no longer able to stay awake now that he'd delivered his message as ordered.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Hai – yes  
>Hi no Kuni – Fire Country<br>Kawa no Kuni – River Country (Country that stands as a buffer between Fire and Wind Countries)  
>Makibishi – caltrops (small spiked devices designed to hinder foot soldiers and horses)<br>Sawa no Kuni – Swamp Country (randomly selected country for Amegakure to be located)  
>Taka – Hawk<p> 


	11. The War

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eleven: The War<span>

_June 08, 0288 AtD, 8:18 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Hiruzen gently arranged the exhausted child on his couch as he felt a combination of guilt and pride well up inside of him. He felt guilty that such a young child had pushed himself beyond his limits just to complete a mission and at the same time he was so very proud of the child for his bravery and skill in evading enemies and other threats alone just to bring him an urgent report. It was rare to see the Will of Fire burn so brightly in one so young.

He only prayed that the war would not snuff out that bright light (and the dozen others like it) least Konoha's future dim and fade into nothingness. Sighing softly, Hiruzen gently brushed the child's hair out of his face and checked the boy for any serious injuries before he rose to his feet and stuck his head out of the office in order to have his secretary send for a medic. He then made his way to his desk, picked up the messenger bag the child had delivered, unlocked the seal by smearing a generous drop of blood across the paper tag securing the flap shut, and dumped the contents out on his desk.

The moment he caught sight of the two black scrolls amidst the standard red and green scrolls used for reports, Hiruzen felt the weight of his office bearing down on him once more as he read the hastily scrawled names etched on the outside of the scrolls. He had feared that Team Taka had been lost when the four man cell had gone missing between one outpost and another on their most recent circuit of the borders. Their disappearance had weighed heavily on the Sandaime and the confirmation of his worst fears only made him ache for the lives that had been lost since Iwa had declared war on Konoha.

Team Taka had been one of the more seasoned collection teams and their assigned outposts were those along the Na no Kuni and Tani no Kuni borders because those two countries in turn bordered Tsuchi no Kuni and were the portals through which Iwa shinobi typically entered Hi no Kuni. The only reason they didn't attempt to also enter through Sawa no Kuni was strictly because Sanshouo no Hanzou did not tolerate trespassers. It was the same reason why Hiruzen didn't bother sending any of his shinobi through Sawa no Kuni; one war with Hanzou was more than enough.

Shoving his memories and his regret to the back of his mind, Hiruzen collected the pair of black scrolls and set them off to one side. He then began the tedious process of unsealing the many reports that had been collected and skimmed each one of them while he waited for those he had sent for to arrive. He had managed to sort through half of the reports when his was pulled from the paperwork by a familiar disgruntled voice.

"Why is there a gaki snoring on your couch, Hiruzen?"

"Because he passed out on me the moment he finished giving me his initial report. And that was after he'd crossed the distance between Konoha and Na no Kuni's border in less than fifteen hours, Kasai," Hiruzen replied without looking up at the masked AnBu Commander. "I've already sent for a medic to come check on him and confirm that he isn't going to suffer any permanent damage as a result of pushing himself past his limits."

"So, that was the gaki that had the gate guards all up in arms when he sped through the gate after using the emergency code?"

"I would imagine so; he rather brazenly threw himself into my office through the window after announcing himself to the Tower's Gate Watch as well. His crash landing was rather memorable. I can't recall ever seeing a Chuunin use my desk to halt their forward momentum before. I'd almost feared he'd snapped his own neck due to the position he ended up in."

"What news did he bring you that was so urgent he couldn't even bother to properly identify himself at the gate? And where is the rest of his team? Why weren't they with him? Were they ambushed?"

"His team stumbled upon the sole surviving member of Team Taka. The initial evidence indicates that the three youngest members of the team were held captive and tortured for information by a group of Iwa Nin from the moment that they had disappeared at the end of last month. Jounin Hayama and the rest of Team Fourteen remained with the surviving Chuunin in order to seek medical care for the teen at the nearest outpost while sending Kojimaru-kun back to the village to report on the situation. He also brought with him the outpost reports his team had collected during their mission and the bodies of the two dead Chuunin that were uncovered outside of an abandoned Iwa campsite inside of Hi no Kuni."

"Chikushou, Team Taka had a considerable amount of information on the locations of every last one of our outposts, the positions of our forward troops, and the names and locations of any number of key individuals," Kasai cursed grimly as the current generation of Team Ino-Shika-Cho entered the room alongside of Team Minato, a vivacious redhead by the name of Uzumaki Kushina, two squads of masked AnBu, another two Jounin led Chuunin teams, a medic whose name escaped him at the moment, and a handful of his advisors.

"I've already called for a number of those elite squads that are in the village so that I can send them out to spread the word of a possible compromise in our security. I also plan to send a retrieval team to fetch the rest of Team Fourteen and the teen they stumbled upon. I do not know if the teen will have survived; Kojimaru indicated that his injuries were critical and that moving him would be a delicate matter."

"What happened to Team Fourteen?" Shikaku demanded with a slight frown as his eyes searched the room before falling on the unconscious redhead sprawled on Hiruzen's couch. "What happened to Kojimaru-kun? Where is the rest of his team?"

"He exhausted himself to bring me urgent news from the border," Hiruzen answered before he addressed the medic. "I believe the child is unharmed aside from a severe case of physical and chakra exhaustion as I found no visible sign of any injury."

"Did you wish for me to treat him here or may I transport him to the hospital so that I can give him a full evaluation?"

"I would prefer for you to treat him here in the event that we need time sensitive information or answers that only he can provide. However, if you find any sign of a serious or life threatening injury while scanning him, then you have my permission to transfer him to the hospital immediately."

"Wakatta, Hokage-sama."

"What is the gaki's surname?" Kushina demanded as she stared intently at the redhead child.

"Unknown; his parents were killed by bandits when he was three. He was brought to the village not long after that by his godfather, Maruboshi Kosuke. Why do you ask?" Hiruzen answered as frowned at the volatile kunoichi.

"Even exhausted as he is, I can tell that the gaki has some rather impressive chakra reserves for such a little thing, dattebane," Kushina replied as she moved up to the couch and leaned down to finger the child's red hair. "And he has red hair. Those are two very prominent traits of the Uzumaki Clan and I know that those members of my clan that survived the fall of Uzushio scattered themselves in order to better hide from their enemies."

"The little gaichuu is no Uzumaki; he is too even tempered," Kasai interjected with in a dry tone.

"Oh, I don't know, Kasai; Kojimaru's earlier entrance was quite spectacular and his file contained a long list of impressive pranks that he pulled off during the four terms that he attended the Academy. He also tends to get very angry if any one picks on his lack of height or insults his friends and teammates."

"Half of those pranks were actually instigated by gaki's teammate," Kasai countered and Hiruzen could practically feel the man's growing annoyance. "Besides, the gaki's hair is the wrong color red and his eyes are the wrong color blue and there are a number of Suna Clans that also have red hair."

"Why is it such a big deal if the kid's an Uzumaki?" Uchiha Obito, one of Namikaze Minato's students, asked as he tried to peek around the medic who was currently scanning the child for internal injuries.

"Because I'm an Uzumaki!" Kushina roared as she clobbered the tactless pre-teen over the head.

"Dobe," Hatake Kakashi, another one of Minato's students, grunted as he side-stepped out of the way of his falling teammate.

"Shut up, teme!"

"Knock it off, both of you; now is not the time," Minato ordered in a stern tone laced with exasperation that indicated the Jounin was long used to his two students fighting amongst themselves.

"We weren't doin' nuffin'," Kojimaru unexpectedly grumbled in response to the order as he twisted around and curled his arms around one of the couch cushions. "You can't pin that bucket of angry fire-ants that you walked into on me 'n' Tenzou, Nam'kaze-san. S'not our fault that you walked face first into the prank we set up for the teme that had stolen my tea."

There was a brief moment of silence before several individuals burst out laughing at Minato's expense as the blonde began growling under his breath in response to the sleepy confession that Kojimaru had just given; Hiruzen included as he well remembered the day that Minato had walked into his office for a meeting covered from head to toe in fresh ant bites.

"I'm going to strip the little brats bare, bath them in honey, and bury them up to their necks in an anthill just as soon as the gaki's partner in crime returns to the village," Minato swore as a vein on the side of his forehead began throbbing even as the child's breathing evened out; an indication that he had sank back into a deeper sleep once more.

"Yes, well as entertaining as it is to learn that you were bested by a pair of seven year olds; we really don't have time for this right now," Hiruzen intoned as he recalled the reason why he'd called everyone to his office upon hearing mention of the popular and often rather painful torture technique (depending on the type of ants living in said ant hill) that was still used in Sunagakure. "I summoned you here because Kojimaru-kun brought us grave word from the borders; Team Taka's disappearance has been confirmed to be the work of a group of Iwa shinobi. Two members of the team have been confirmed dead, another is presumed dead – his body unaccounted for, and the final member is in critical condition."

"Kuso," several of the Jounin present swore as they immediately understood the implications.

"My sentiments exactly," Hiruzen gravely agreed. "We will need to move quickly in order to mitigate any potential damage that can be done with the information that was potentially extracted from Team Taka and the reports that they were carrying at the time of their disappearance. Minato, I want you and your team to head to the border and meet up with the rest of Team Fourteen and the hopefully still surviving member of Team Taka in their care."

"Is the child going to be up to escorting us to the last place he saw his teammates?" Minato inquired with more than a little concern as he cast a quick glance in said child's direction (his annoyance over the earlier prank not blinding him to the fact that the kid was still just a kid).

"No, the child's reserves are dangerously low," the medic answered in Hiruzen's place. "I found no sign of any physical injuries but I doubt he'll be waking up any time soon due to the severity of his exhaustion."

"I suspected as much; given the fact that the child pushed himself to his limits on his mad dash to Konoha from the border."

"Oh…? How long did it take him?" Kushina asked curiously; the kunoichi looking to find out if the child had beaten her record for the shortest recorded journey time between the village and the eastern borders.

"Approximately fourteen and a half hours without a single rest stop," Hiruzen replied as he folded his hands together and propped his elbows on his desk as he watched the medic withdraw from the room. "I suspect that it'll be at least another year or two before he threatens your record of twelve hours and fifteen minutes, Kushina."

Kushina snorted in amusement as she retorted, "I guess I'll just have to work harder to beat my own record before the adorable little tyke beats me, dattebane. Anyway, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you back on the front lines to deflect attention away from our main troops in order to buy us some time to move people around in order to negate any advantage that Iwa potentially now has over us. With luck, the group that captured Team Taka will think any information that they extracted from their prisoners was outdated or nothing but false leads at that point."

"The rest of you will need to carry new instructions to the outposts and the front line to get them moving and warn them of potential ambushes. I will have everything prepared within the next thirty minutes so that you can be on your way before the hour is out. Are there any questions? No? Then you are dismissed so that you can prepare yourselves. Minato; you'll need to stick around for a moment if you want information on Team Fourteen's last known location."

"Go pack for a two week mission and meet me at the front gate in a half an hour," Minato ordered as he made shooing motions at his students. "And, Obito, don't stop to help any old ladies or fetch any cats out of a tree; lives are at stake and we won't have time for any tomfoolery."

"Hai, sensei," Obito replied with a tone of defeat.

"Minato; you and I will have words about you hiding the knowledge about the possible existence of a potential relative of mine from me the next time we're both in the village," Kushina threatened darkly before she stalked out of the room in the wake of the three pre-teens; leaving only a handful of individuals inside of the office.

"He's not an Uzumaki!" Kasai barked irritably after her at the same time as Minato cried, "I never saw the kid's face before today or I would have strung him up by his ears the day I got caught in his prank trap!"

Hiruzen wondered who put a burr up Torifu's ass and why his old friend was so adamant that Kushina not see the child as a distant relative. He had the vague feeling that he was missing something obvious before he pushed the masked man's behavior to the back of his mind as he focused on more important matters. Such as salvaging the current situation least Iwa crush Konoha.

"Kojimaru informed me that their team was roughly three hours travel from Outpost Eighty-Seven when they found the injured member of Team Taka. The Iwa camp where the two dead Chuunin were found was an hour's walk directly east of that location and there were obvious signs that the sole survivor dragged himself out of that camp before he collapsed in the area where he was found. The teen's trail was at least eighteen hours old at the time of discovery and the camp itself had been abandoned for roughly twenty-four hours."

"So, basically, a group of Iwa shinobi had Team Taka and worked them over for nearly two weeks," Minato deduced with a grimace. "Do we have an estimated time of death for the dead?"

"No, I still have their scrolls with me but Kojimaru-kun said the bodies were partially decomposed; an indication that they have probably been dead for quite some time."

"That also increases the chances that they died before they were forced to give up too many secrets," Shikarou drawled from where he was propped up against the wall.

"True but it is better to expect and plan for the worst case scenario than get caught with our pants down," Kasai retorted as he made his way over to Kojimaru and crouched down to inspect the child's face.

"That's also assuming that the missing member of the team is actually dead and not still in the hands of their captors," Hiruzen added tiredly before he turned his attention to Shikarou's teammate. "Inohiko, will you be able to view the child's memories of the past twenty-four hours now or will you need to wait until he wakes up?"

"It would be best to view them now, while he is still sleeping," Shikarou interjected with a frown. "Shikaku was there the last time Inoichi-kun mind-walked through the child's memories after a mission when the child revealed that he relives the memories as they are viewed. If I recall correctly, my nephew also stated that Inoichi later confessed that the child had far more control over his mind than expected for a child his age."

"I recall having a similar conversation with my son," Inohiko added off-handedly as he knelt beside the couch and placed a hand on the child's forehead before activating the jutsu that would allow him to slip into the child's mind.

Hiruzen watched for a moment before he began cleaning up the stack of paperwork that Kojimaru had accidentally knocked over when he first arrived. He then sat down to finish skimming through the outpost reports; handing the reports over to Shikarou as soon as he finished skimming them so that his Chief Strategist could help him come up with a way to salvage the mess created by the capture of Team Taka. Kasai eventually gravitated towards the pair in order to add his two cents as well, though the masked shinobi continuously cast glances towards the child on the couch.

"You seem overly distracted, Kasai; is there a problem?" Hiruzen asked after he caught the man glancing towards Kojimaru for the seventh time in ten minutes.

"Ask me again in seven years," Kasai replied as he turned his back on the pair by the couch.

"Hnn," Hiruzen grunted in annoyance over the fact that Kasai was being intentionally evasive; a clear indication that there was definitely something going on.

Something important and Hiruzen couldn't help but feel as if he should already know what. It also wasn't like his old friend to make allusions to a far distant future that Hiruzen may or may not survive to see; a shinobi's life was fraught with danger and death and a Kage's life could be ended just as easily as a Genin's under the right conditions. Hiruzen let out a huff of exasperation before he refocused his attention on the reports and the discussion on the current war strategy.

It would be two days before Kojimaru woke up and another four days before his team returned to the village alongside of the Chuunin they had rescued. Those four days were pure torture for the young Chuunin; it being the longest time he'd been separated from Tenzou since they had become friends four years earlier. He was more than a little upset with the Hokage for not allowing him to leave the village in order to rejoin his team as quickly as possible. As soon as his team did appear, Kojimaru's bad mood evaporated after he made certain that both Aoba and Tenzou had made it back to the village unscathed.

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><p><em>June 11, 0288 AtD through December 31, 0290 AtD<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

The next two years would become a blur of missions, fights, and training for Team Fourteen.

The number of missions that Team Fourteen were sent on continued to increase as they picked up those missions that normally would have gone to an older team as the casualties of war continued to grow. The number of enemy shinobi that they faced on a given mission continued to increase as well when both Kumogakure and Sunagakure were drawn into the war as allies of Iwa and Konoha respectively. Kirigakure would inevitably be drawn into the war as well but they played both sides; the Mizukage seeking to regain the power that their village had lost during the Second Great Shinobi War.

More and more often now, Team Fourteen was coming home injured at the end of a mission as both sides of the war grew more desperate to gain the upper hand. Kojimaru hated the fact that his teammates were starting to collect scars while he walked away from their battles unmarred and virtually unhurt since his injuries usually healed rapidly except when he was suffering from chakra exhaustion. Not even Tenzou was quite as lucky when it came to injuries, since the amount of scarring he acquired from injuries was only reduced and not prevented entirely.

Aoba and Tenzou usually cheered Kojimaru up when he grew depressed about their scars by teasing him about being the pretty boy on the team. They occasionally went so far as to declare him the unofficial kunoichi of their team; a comment that always sparked some serious prank wars between the three boys whenever they were in the village. The prank wars served to relieve the tension and stress that the ongoing war piled onto their team in addition to cheering up the artificial redhead. They also served as a form of training since it forced them to plan on their feet, helped to increase their situational awareness, and nurtured their creativity.

Due to the increase in injuries that the team acquired during missions, Hayama and Tekuno increased the level of their training. Their elemental training was taken to next level as they finally mastered changing the nature of their chakra into their individual elements (Tenzou and Kojimaru's Kekkei Genkai not counting). That basically meant that they were now being taught how to use their affinities to increase the effectiveness of their elemental jutsu as well as increasing their repertoire of elemental based ninjutsu attacks.

In an odd role reversal, Tenzou's ninjutsu arsenal became heavy on defense while Kojimaru's ninjutsu were mostly offensive in nature. The reason for that was due to Kojimaru's natural wind affinity (which was still far stronger than his earth or water affinity) and Tenzou's natural earth affinity; wind being ideal for offensive attacks while earth was more suited for defense. Kojimaru still learned the same defensive doton based jutsu as Tenzou; he just didn't feel quite as comfortable using them as Tenzou did and therefore would not master them as quickly or as thoroughly as his friend.

Aoba's ninjutsu arsenal was split evenly between offense and distraction as he learned a handful of genjutsu on top of the katon jutsu that he was taught. His role in an all out ninjutsu battle was relegated to offensive support and he was most often paired with Kojimaru or Hayama who would then use collaboration ninjutsu to enhance Aoba's fire attacks using their wind affinities. The results tended to be rather explosive and extensive; wiping out large swaths of terrain (much to Kojimaru's everlasting dismay) and mowing down enemies that weren't quick enough to escape.

The Mokuton's ability to grow trees in any condition meant that their team didn't permanently destroy the environment during those battles where they were forced to pull out their more destructive attacks just to survive. Growing trees was also one of two facets of the Mokuton that Tenzou and Kojimaru could both perform without any obvious differences; though Kojimaru had far more influence over the types of trees being grown. The other facet of the Mokuton that they could both use was the ability to sink into any wooden surface. If not for those two shared facets, it would almost appear as if they had two completely different Kekkei Genkai.

The two boys didn't mind though, since the fact that their abilities were so different meant that their abilities were more complimentary rather than being redundant. It also meant that there was even less of a reason for one of them to be shifted to a different team. Tenzou's love of architecture and his ability to grow wood planks and beams out of his chakra meant that he was able to grow almost any construct imaginable. Kojimaru, on the other hand, could twist trees to create more natural looking hiding places or turn the very forest against their enemies.

Even the wood clones that they learned to create were different. Kojimaru's clones were grown from a portion of a plant or tree (such as a leaf, a flower, a twig, or a seed) while Tenzou's clones were formed from his chakra and grew out of his body. Both types had their advantages; Kojimaru's requiring far less chakra to create and Tenzou's having the ability to function as a combination scout and avatar due to the fact that he remained connected to the clone until he reabsorbed its chakra into his body (similar in nature to the Kage Bunshin) or it was destroyed.

Tenzou's ability to connect to trees and any construct he grew from his chakra made him an invaluable tracker and forward scout. It was an ability that Kojimaru wished he shared with his friend; Tenzou's ability stemming from the fact that he was a chakra sensor while Kojimaru was merely chakra sensitive. He still felt a connection to the forest but his connection only allowed him to sense the presence of living trees; not see or hear what the trees saw and heard. He also couldn't read life signs through the earth using tree roots as conductors for his earth affinity like Tenzou could. Alternatively, Tenzou really wished he had Kojimaru's ability to bring trees to life.

There were times when Aoba envied both younger boys but they never lasted long.

In addition to upping their ninjutsu training, Hayama-sensei pushed them to improve physically; driving them to become faster, stronger, and more agile. That training also saw them increasing both their stamina and endurance (two similar physical abilities that were actually quite different – stamina referring to just how long they could fight or run in peak condition while endurance referred to just how far they could push their bodies before they keeled over). As their chakra reserves expanded in response to the intense physical and ninjutsu training, they were introduced to more complex chakra control exercises in order to maintain and surpass their current control.

Those exercises included the basics of Ha no Noudo, Kinobori no Waza, and Suimen Hokou no Waza in combination with the more advanced versions (replacing leaves with pebbles or marbles, using the tree walking ability to spar or exercise on ceilings and walls, and walking up waterfalls). They were also introduced to kunai balancing, chakra strings, and chakra circulation. The first required them to balance a kunai on a fingertip, the second had them using a guide wire to practice forming strings of chakra, and the last one had them actively controlling the circulation of their chakra in order to enhance their muscles, ease muscle fatigue, reinforce bones, numb pain, and restrict blood flow to an open wound.

After their ninth birthdays, Kojimaru and Tenzou were finally introduced to kenjutsu (Hayama confident that they were finally old enough and skilled enough to not seriously injure themselves with a blade). Those lessons also coincided with the next level of Kojimaru's smithing lessons as he was finally taught how to make swords, daggers, spears, and more complicated every day tools. Once they had learned the basic stances and katas, both boys were rather quick to find a sword style that best suited their overall fighting style and once again they chose to go in different directions.

Tenzou preferred to fight with a single tanto while Kojimaru preferred to use multiple blades that fell between a dagger and a wakizashi blade in size and shape. Kojimaru was also far more likely to throw his blades at his enemies than to just use them as an extension of his arm. The reason for that was so that he could maintain his distance from those opponents that were larger and stronger than him (he was still the smallest member of their team, after all). The fact that he would eventually be able to make his own endless supply of swords through his Kekkei Genkai also meant he'd never have to worry about running out of blades to throw or wasting money to replace those that got lost or damaged.

He would still carry a small number of actual swords on his person for those times when it wasn't possible to use his Hyouton or Mokuton.

The lessons that Kosuke gave to Kojimaru (and frequently to his teammates as well) advanced at a slightly slower pace than his shinobi training due to the fact that godfather and godson saw so little of each other. The same held true in the case of the lessons they received from Tenzou's adopted uncle; with Kisuke spending even less time in the village than Team Fourteen. Furthermore, Shikaku had officially been retired from his position as their babysitter just after Tenzou's eighth birthday as the current generation of Ino-Shika-Cho spent most of their time on the front lines fighting.

The two boys still visited the Nara Compound (so Kojimaru could spend some of his limited free time with the deer) but they were more likely to crash at Tenzou's or Aoba's place if Kosuke and/or Kisuke were out on a mission. There were even times when all three boys crashed at their sensei's apartment on the night before a mission or when Tenzou and Aoba didn't want to go home looking like death warmed over least they worry their aunt and mother respectively. They could have potentially crashed at Kojimaru's place as well but Kojimaru hadn't yet learned enough fuuinjutsu to be taught how to activate and deactivate the more complex seals that were scattered about the house and gardens.

It wasn't that Kosuke didn't trust Kojimaru; it was more that Kojimaru simply had no desire to learn more than the basics of fuuinjutsu; which included exploding tags, storage seals, basic security seals, and chakra suppression seals. Out of necessity, he had also been taught out to draw and activate the seals that altered his hair, eye color, and chakra signature so that when the seals failed completely (and they would when Kasai died) he could replace them himself instead of relying on someone else to reapply them to his face and neck.

The reason for the lack of interest boiled down to Kojimaru's dislike and distaste for spilling blood; specifically when it came to spilling his own blood as he had little to no problem spilling an enemy's blood (though he still disliked killing). He could still remember Orochimaru nearly draining him dry for months on end during the time he had spent in the traitor's clutches. So, while he didn't mind occasionally sacrificing a drop or two of blood through necessity (usually for security seals and the higher level storage seals), he drew the line at mixing his blood into the ink for the higher levels of fuuinjutsu. And he hated getting blood drawn at the Hospital.

Konoha would be attacked directly three times during those two years; once when the Kamizuru Clan attacked, once by a combined force of Iwa and Kumo shinobi, and once by a group of high level rogues that had been hired to assassinate the Hokage and a number of other key individuals. Each time, the invading forces had been repelled by Konoha's forces but not without great cost. The Aburame Clan lost a third of their members when facing the Kamizuru Clan, an eighth of the AnBu forces and nearly half of the village's reserve forces (which was made up of retired, disabled, and below average shinobi) were lost fighting off the joint Iwa and Kumo contingent, and another two squads of AnBu were lost taking down the hired missing nin.

Team Fourteen had been out of the village during the Kamizuru's attack and again during the assassination attempt but they had been there during the three day siege in February of the year two hundred ninety.

The three Chuunin had been working on their melee fighting style when the warning klaxons spread throughout the village had begun blaring loudly. The three boys had frozen in place and stared at one another in shock (since the village had never been attacked in their memory) before they immediately headed to Team Fourteen's meeting spot in order to meet up with their sensei for orders (a protocol that Hayama had established not long after they had become a team).

They wouldn't get very far before the three of them were accosted by a pair of masked AnBu guards that plucked the two nine and a half year olds off the ground and ordered Aoba to seek out their team's sensei for instructions. Kojimaru and Tenzou had then been delivered directly to Kasai's office via Transportation Scroll. Kasai immediately deactivated their disguise seals before he ordered them to change into AnBu uniforms complete with blank, featureless masks. They were then asked to each create a clone that would take their place on their team (so they wouldn't be missed) before Tenzou was handed over to an AnBu Guard wearing a dog faced masked with blue highlights while Kojimaru was assigned to one that wore a bird mask with yellow and green accents.

The reason for their complete change in looks was to protect their identities during the siege and allow them to use their full range of skills without needing to worry about who might see them using their Kekkei Genkai. Normally, Kasai wouldn't have bothered but because their strongest shinobi were currently out of the village, he was forced to use the talent he had available to him to protect the village. And there was no doubt that the two boys were talented even if they hadn't yet reached their full potential.

Tenzou would spend the duration of the siege constantly repairing the walls with his Mokuton while Kojimaru attacked their enemies with both his Mokuton and Hyouton using guerrilla tactics; the AnBu squad he was placed on venturing forth outside of the village walls to fight their enemies from the shadows. Aoba and the two clones were paired up with a couple of Genin teams and assigned to assist in evacuating the civilians to the emergency shelters located inside the Hokage Monument.

Once the civilians were safe, Aoba's group would spend the entire siege keeping the younger children occupied and distracted so they wouldn't panic and distributing emergency supplies as needed. Hayama and Tekuno in turn had joined the reserve force where they were each given charge of a ten man squad and assigned to protect a section of the village's wall and fend off the enemy's attempts to breach the walls.

The siege would be broken on the fourth day of fighting by the return of Team Minato; the Konoha no Kiiroi Senko dealing death without mercy to the enemy for daring to attack his home. That would be the first, last, and only time that Kojimaru witnessed Namikaze Minato decimating a large army single-handedly using his Hiraishin. Sure, Kojimaru had helped the AnBu whittle down the numbers of the enemy's force and harried them day and night but they had not cut larges swathes through the enemy's forces in the blink of an eye.

Kojimaru and Tenzou would then stand witness to Kasai getting his ass chewed out by the future Yondaime Hokage over the masked man's decision to exploit the two children's abilities. Minato had been most upset over the fact that Kojimaru had been assigned to a hit and run team and deployed outside of the safety of the walls (not that the blonde knew it was him beneath the mask). Kasai was unrepentant because he'd made the decision that he believed was in the best interest of the village; something that Minato knew as well, even if the blonde was displeased by his methods (since the end results spoke for themselves as the village had held strong against the siege long enough for reinforcements to arrive).

Any fame that the two Mokuton users might have gained through their actions during the siege quickly faded into obscurity as their disguises were reactivated. It helped that their team immediately resumed taking missions out of the village shortly after the village had been cleaned up. The fact that Konoha recovered so quickly on the heels of the siege served to discourage their enemies and made it appear as if they were far stronger than they were despite the extensive losses they had taken over the course of the war.

Seven months after the siege of Konoha and just one month after the attempted assassination of the Sandaime Hokage, Team Minato would undertake two missions that would facilitate the end of the war and cost the well known team one of their members.

Roughly three weeks after those two missions, on October seventeenth of two hundred-ninety, the Tsuchikage would surrender and the war would officially end. Small skirmishes would continue to break out over the course of the next two months but the bulk of the armies would begin withdrawing back to their respective villages. During those two months, all five Kage of the Five Great Elemental Nations and the Daimyou of the countries involved would meet often for peace talks and to hammer out a new treaty.

Namikaze Minato would be sworn into office one week after the treaty was officially signed; Sarutobi Hiruzen had grown weary after living through three Great Shinobi Wars and wished to spend his remaining years bonding with his family. A month after taking up office as the Yondaime Hokage, Minato would secretly marry his longtime crush and girlfriend; Uzumaki Kushina. Konoha and her people would then set about rebuilding their lives and burying their dead.

And so would end the third chapter in the life of the young orphan that had been born as Harry Potter, remade as Test Subject One-Thirty-Eight through the fires of deprivation, and reborn out of the ashes of his past as Kojimaru, Chuunin Shinobi of Konohagakure.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Amegakure no Sato – Hidden Rain Village  
>Chikushou – damn<br>Dattebane – Kushina's catch phrase; has no true meaning but has been translated as 'you/ya know' in the English version of the Anime  
>Dobe – idiot, loser (dead last)<br>Gaki – brat  
>Ha no Noudo – Leaf Concentration<br>Hai – yes  
>Hi no Kuni – Fire Country<br>Hiraishin no Jutsu – Flying Thunder God Technique  
>Kawa no Kuni – River Country (Country that stands as a buffer between Fire and Wind Countries)<br>Kinobori no Waza – Tree climbing  
>Konoha no Kiiroi Senko – Konoha's Yellow Flash<br>Kuso – swear word  
>Na no Kuni – Vegetable Country (randomly selected country for Kusagakure to be located)<br>Sanshouo no Hanzou – Hanzou the Salamander  
>Sawa no Kuni – Swamp Country (randomly selected country for Amegakure to be located)<br>Suimen Hokou no Waza – Water walking  
>Taka – Hawk<br>Tani no Kuni – Valley Country (randomly selected country for Takigakure to be located)  
>Teme – bastardjerk (rude way of saying you)  
>Tsuchi no Kuni – Earth Country<br>Wakatta – I understand


	12. The Disaster

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twelve: The Disaster<span>

_October 10, 0292 AtD, 9:23 PM  
>Unnamed stretch of Forest, Southern Cha no Kuni<em>

Twelve year old Kojimaru leaned over the pot of rabbit stew that sat over the campfire and gave the bubbling brew a deft stir with his ladle to prevent the meat and vegetables from sticking to the bottom and burning. Satisfied that he was not in danger of burning their supper, the artificial redhead sat back against the log he was sitting next to as he let his eyes drift over his teammates that were scattered about the campsite. In the background, he could hear the sound of heavy rain crashing down on the awning that he and Tenzou had hastily grown over their camp when a nasty storm had cropped up out of nowhere just a half an hour earlier.

His eyes touched on Tenzou first; his brother in blood and arms and his best friend. The slightly younger boy (by a full ten days) was still taller than Kojimaru by several inches though they weighed about the same since Kojimaru had grown stockier over the years thanks to his weaponsmithing lessons. Next there was fifteen year old Yamashiro Aoba; the unofficially adopted older brother and close friend of both younger boys. The older Chuunin towered over both twelve year olds by nearly a full foot (or well over a foot in Kojimaru's case) and that wasn't even counting the extra six inches that Aoba's gravity defying hair added to his overall height.

Then there was Kanden Tekuno; the team's second in command and something of a favorite uncle and mentor to all three boys. Tekuno was a rather easy going man that had confidence and ingenuity in spades. And lastly there was Shirakumo Hayama; the team's Jounin sensei for their first five years together and for the last year, their team's official teichou. Hayama was rather strict and unmoving on the surface but the man was not cruel in his methods or in his nature. He also truly cared about all three boys and looked out for them even as he drove them into the ground with their training.

The only one missing from the group was their part time member and Kojimaru's godfather, Maruboshi Kosuke. Kosuke only rarely ever joined them on missions these days since there wasn't really much call for a six man team. There had been some talk about Tekuno being pulled from the team as well but the Yondaime hadn't made any real attempts to break their team up. Especially when they worked so well together, maintained an impeccable mission record, and had an irreproachable reputation for maintaining their professionalism no matter what misfortune befell their team.

In the two years following the war, Team Fourteen had continued on much as they had during the war; by taking missions, fighting and capturing the handful of rogues that were displeased with the newly declared ceasefire, and training hard in order to continue improving themselves. They worked hard to help Konoha and Hi no Kuni recover from the ravages of war during that time. The first year had been the hardest but they made it through somehow.

There had even been more than a few happy occasions to celebrate; such as Shikaku's marriage to Yoshino (though that had taken place a good six months before the war ended), the Yondaime's inauguration, the Yondaime's marriage to Kushina (secret though it was for the majority of Konoha), and the scattered births of the next generation of shinobi and clan heirs. Those happy moments helped ease the grief that cloaked the village in the wake of the war. There were those that were unable to cope with their losses but on the whole, the village healed and life went on.

Smiling to himself, Kojimaru turned his attention back to their supper and prepared to give the stew another stir when he unexpectedly felt the seals maintaining his disguise shatter. He also felt something unraveling in his mind but he ignored that for the moment as he jerked his head up in shock while his eyes automatically searched out Tenzou to find that his self-claimed brother's disguise had also fallen. Tenzou was in fact staring at Kojimaru with an equally shocked and worried expression on his face.

"Teichou…!" Kojimaru cried out sharply as he jumped to his feet and snapped his eyes over to Hayama; panic and fear forming a knot in his belly at the implications of the seals failing after all this time.

"What's wrong, Koji…?" Hayama began to ask only for his question to trail off the moment he glanced up and caught sight of Kojimaru without his disguise for the first time. The man then immediately cut his eyes over to Tenzou, whose real face he was also seeing for the first time, before demanding, "What happened to the two of you?"

"Kasai-sama said the seals disguising our hair and eyes would only break upon his death," Tenzou answered in a stressed tone. "What could have possibly…?"

Hayama's lips pressed tightly together as he flicked his gaze back and forth between the two boys as he took in the differences in their appearances; Kojimaru's changes being the most drastic though he recognized the pre-teen's leaf green eyes after having caught brief glimpses of them through his disguise from time to time whenever Kojimaru felt particularly emotional.

"Do either one of you have a means of reapplying the seals or failing that, disguising yourselves without resorting to a henge that could be easily dispelled?"

"H…hai, teichou," Kojimaru answered after swallowing the bulk of his panic so that it settled like a rock in his stomach. "Our guardians taught us how to draw our specific seals while we were still in the academy and we in turn taught each other how to draw both sets so that we would both know how to do them if one of us couldn't for any reason."

"Good, as soon as you salvage our supper so we can eat, I want the two of you to reapply the seals."

"What about…?"

"There's nothing we can do out here in the middle of nowhere," Hayama pointed out before Tenzou could even finish voicing his question. "It is also important that the two of you regain the features that you've worn for the last eight years. While Tenzou's changes aren't that drastic; Kojimaru's are fairly startling. Drawing attention to yourselves now, when it appears that there is something happening back in the village, will only cause more problems in the long run.

"Wakatta, Hayama-teichou," Tenzou and Kojimaru replied in unison.

Kojimaru then spent several minutes salvaging the stew (which thankfully hadn't been completely ruined though it had developed a telling hint of burnt vegetables and meat in the flavor). An extra couple of dashes of pepper helped hide the small mishap with the meal and the five of them ate in silence; their thoughts firmly focused on any number of scenarios that might be playing out back at the village.

As soon as they finished eating what little they could stomach, Kojimaru and Tenzou rinsed out their bowls and moved off to one side of the clearing so that they could reapply their disguise seals. A short conversation conveyed through a single glance had the two of them facing one another as they simultaneously applied the seals to one another. Sure, they could have done their own seals but it was easier to do each other's so they didn't have to account for the reverse image the mirror would show them. It also allowed them a measure of comfort to know that they would always know that the other was alive and safe so long as their seals remained intact.

Once they'd finished drawing the seals, they activated each other's disguise. Kojimaru watched as Tenzou's hair faded from medium brown to dirty blonde while his eyes changed from the color of dark maple syrup to thick honey even as he felt his scalp and eyes tingle as his own hair shifted from black as sin to blood red while his eyes shifted from deep green to deep blue. At the same time, Kojimaru felt a part of his mind being locked away once more but he soon shook off the odd sensation in favor of putting away the simple sealing kit he carried with him on missions.

"Good work boys," Hayama stated as he approached the pair and studied their faces just as intently as he'd studied their undisguised faces nearly an hour earlier. "I don't see any flaws or discrepancies in the disguises; which can sometimes happen when two people draw the same exact skills."

"Because everyone's handwriting is unique and even a pair of characters that look identical can have small differences that stand out if you know how to look for them," Kojimaru recited by rote as the memory of one of Kosuke's long ago writing lessons briefly surfaced. "It took well over a year before Kosuke-oji thought my recreation of Ka…Kasai's seal was adequate and another two years before he considered it good enough to pass muster. I've drawn both of those seals so many times that I could draw them in my sleep."

"My hand aches just thinking about those practice sessions," Tenzou added with a slight shudder that Kojimaru copied a split second later before they both snickered weakly because they'd been the ones to make those lessons far worse than they originally were by learning how to recreate each other's seals.

Twenty minutes later, Kojimaru was curled up in his sleeping bag with his eyes closed in an attempt to get some rest. His thoughts and fears just wouldn't stop chasing one another around inside of his head though; the mere knowledge that Kasai was dead inevitably leading to traitorous thoughts of returning home to find Kosuke dead. He knew his godfather was strong and that he could take care of himself but Kasai had been just as strong, if not stronger, and he was dead now.

He wasn't afraid of being alone; he knew that Tenzou would be there for him so long as his brother drew breath but Kosuke was Kojimaru's anchor and he just didn't know what he'd do if he lost his godfather. His godfather was also the one that kept his nightmares of his time as a captive of Orochimaru at bay. Kosuke's long ago promise to protect him and keep him safe from the traitor had been the tether that had kept him grounded in reality at a time when he could have so easily drowned in his terrible memories.

A half strangled whimper slipped passed his guard and Kojimaru felt himself shaking under the smothering weight of his fears. The sound of fabric shifting across the dirt followed by the feel of a warm body pressing up against his snapped Kojimaru out of his self-destructive thinking and he instinctively turned over and curled into Tenzou; the twelve year old both seeking and offering comfort since he knew that Tenzou had the same fear as he did. A shaky calm fell over both boys as they clung to one another and clung to the hope that everything would be fine when they returned home.

Seated with his back against a tree just a few feet from the troubled duo, Aoba sadly watched over his little honorary brothers; the fifteen year old well aware of just what dark and terrible nightmares still haunted his teammates to this day – though they usually hid their insecurities far better.

* * *

><p><em>October 12, 0292 AtD, 10:09 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

The approach leading up to the main gates of Konoha looked much as it always had upon their return to the village after a mission. The view would have been reassuring to Team Fourteen if it had not been for the disquiet that clung to the forest surrounding the military village. On top of that, the very air surrounding the village was oppressive and filled with the lingering traces of foul chakra that set the entire team on edge. The closer they got to the village the larger the knot of worry in Kojimaru's belly grew.

Any relief they might have felt at being home again fled the moment they were close enough to see the extensive damage that had been done to the village and parts of the surrounding forest. All three Chuunin stumbled to a stop and Kojimaru actually let out a strangled whine as his eyes fell upon the great stretch of wall that had been destroyed along with a large track of apartments and homes and a great stretch of the forest outside of the village. Every where he looked, he could see bandaged shinobi and civilians moving amidst the rubble salvaging what they could and hauling the rest of the debris off to the landfill or the recycling center depending on what it was.

The grief that clung to the village was palpable and exceeded only by the lingering fear and anger that filled the air.

It took two full minutes before Hayama managed to prod the three young Chuunin into moving forward. When they reached the gate, Hayama held a hushed conversation with the Chuunin on duty (who was unable to provide him with any information by order of the Hokage) while Tekuno kept a close watch on the three shocked boys. Kojimaru had taken several steps in the direction of his home, the twelve year old focusing on his desire to hunt down his godfather, before the normally jovial Jounin grabbed him by the shoulder and forcibly turned him towards the Hokage Tower. It tore Kojimaru's heart to pieces to delay his search just to give a mission report to the Yondaime Hokage.

The damage done to the village was even more extensive than it appeared from the outside. It literally looked like a giant being had thrown a temper tantrum in the middle of the village and jumped all around. The new scar that marred the face of the Shodai Hokage on the Hokage Mountain only emphasized the feeling of wrongness that suffused the entire village and Kojimaru found it rather difficult to breathe all of a sudden. All through the Third Great Shinobi War, Konoha had remained unmolested; a bastion of security in the sea of madness and bloodshed.

And that bastion had been breached. Violently. And without warning.

Tenzou shifted mid-step so that his arm was pressed up against Kojimaru's and the two twelve year olds drew strength from one another. They were still subtly leaning on one another when they passed through the gate of the curtain wall that protected the Hokage's Tower; a wall that had been partially crushed. Kojimaru's eyes lingered on the damaged stretch of wall for a moment before he tore his gaze away and stared up at the seemingly unharmed tower that housed the Hokage's office and private quarters.

Five short minutes and a short jog up the stairs had Team Fourteen standing just outside of the Hokage's office. The absence of the secretary that usually manned the desk outside of the office gave the hallway and small lobby a sinister feel. Hayama hesitated a brief moment before he knocked sharply on the door. He opened the door the moment a weary voice from the other side granted them permission to enter.

Kojimaru and Tenzou were the first ones through the door and they both stopped the instant their eyes fell on the man seated behind the desk. And while that man was just as familiar as the Yondaime, seeing him in the red and white robes of the Hokage's office was just wrong. Sarutobi Hiruzen had stepped down from his office nearly two years earlier when Namikaze Minato had been sworn in as the Yondaime Hokage.

There was only one reason that the Sandaime would take up the mantel of Hokage once more.

Kojimaru shook his head in denial. Minato couldn't be gone. The twelve year old had seen the Yondaime single-handedly crush an entire army in less than an hour. He knew there was not a single person alive that the powerful Kage couldn't defeat. The only way anyone could have possibly brought down the likes of Kasai and the Yondaime (and countless other powerful shinobi) was through treachery. The twelve year old never felt his sensei reach out and push him all the way into the office so that the rest of the team could enter the room.

"I'm certain that the last thing you wish to do is give out another explanation but what happened to the village, Ho… Hokage-sama? Where is the Yondaime?" Hayama inquired respectfully; his tongue tripping itself up over the need to address the Sandaime by his title for the first time in two years.

"The village was attacked by the Kyuubi two nights ago; Minato sacrificed himself to stop the bijuu from destroying the village entirely," the Sandaime replied after a long pause; the old shinobi looking even older than he normally did. "We lost far too many good people in our efforts to protect the village from the demon's mindless rampage."

"Ojisan…? Is he…?" Kojimaru hoarsely demanded as he took two steps forward; his eyes shining with desperation and fear as they bored into the Hokage's.

"Your godfather lives, child; though his name was listed amongst those that were critically injured during the attack…"

Kojimaru reeled back as though he'd been physically struck by the Hokage's words. Numbness washed through him and his world tilted dangerously as all of his fears came crashing down on him. When he regained his equilibrium, he found himself seated on the Hokage's couch with his head being held between his knees by Hayama.

"Are you going to be alright now, Kojimaru?" Hayama asked when Kojimaru tentatively lifted his head.

"Oji…"

"Is alive," Hayama firmly reminded him. "I will go with you to find him as soon as we are finished here. In the mean time, you need to hold yourself together; you will do your godfather no good if you make yourself sick with worry while allowing your imagination to run wild."

"Ha…hai, sensei."

"Good," Hayama replied before ruffling Kojimaru's hair. The Jounin then stood up to address the Hokage, "What are your orders, sir?"

"What is your team's current status? Were any of you injured over the course of your recent mission?"

"Aside from being shaken over the state in which we found the village upon our return, we are fine."

"That is a relief. I can give you six hours to recoup from your journey, write up your written reports, and take care of any urgent personal business before I will need your team to help clear away the rubble. You can report directly to Nara Shikaku and he will assign you to a clean up crew. Once the remainder of those teams that were out of the village on missions return, I will be making several village wide announcements; so you can expect to remain in the village for at least a week or two."

"Wakatta, Hokage-sama."

They were dismissed at that point and Tenzou latched onto Kojimaru's wrist and dragged him out of the office through the window where they would take to the roofs as they made a beeline for the battered building that housed Konoha's Hospital. Kojimaru heard Hayama yell after them but neither he nor Tenzou looked back or slowed down. They were halfway to the hospital when Kojimaru suddenly pulled up and yanked Tenzou to a stop.

"What are you doing?" Tenzou demanded in confusion.

"We have to find Emiko-san first. We already know ojisan is… is hurt but we also know he's alive. We need to make certain that Kisuke and Emiko are both okay as well before we go see Kosuke-oji."

"Weren't you paying any attention? Kisuke-oji was standing guard in the Hokage's office. He's fine and he would have let me know if anything had happened to obasan."

"Oh," Kojimaru replied in surprise as he allowed Tenzou to start dragging him towards the hospital once more; he hadn't even noticed that Kisuke was in the office. He'd been far too busy panicking upon hearing that his godfather had been critically injured.

When they dropped back down to the streets just outside of the hospital some three minutes later, they found a slightly annoyed Hayama waiting for them on the steps leading up into the building. The Jounin let out a small sigh and shook his head the moment he saw the two boys before he gestured for them to hurry up and get inside as he opened the door for them. Once inside of the building, Kojimaru's panic returned threefold.

He had grown to hate hospitals by the end of the Third Great Shinobi War.

And while he personally disliked it each and every time Hayama dragged him to the hospital for a medical evaluation or medical attention when his body was too exhausted to heal itself, he found his discomfort and disgust with the building multiplying exponentially over the fact that his _critically injured_ godfather was somewhere inside of the building. Terror and horror warred within him as his teichou steered him towards the receptionist in order to find out which room Kosuke was being kept in.

By the time the three of them were standing outside of Kosuke's hospital room, Kojimaru was shaking. Hayama sighed yet again as he opened the door and shoved Kojimaru inside. The twelve year old felt his breath hitch as his eyes landed up the bruised face of his godfather. He took two stumbling steps forward as he tried not to think of how fragile (how old) his godfather looked trussed up to several diabolical machines (all medical equipment were demonic instruments of torture in the twelve year old's mind and no one would ever convince him otherwise) with his hair unbound.

A low, tortured moan was drawn forth from Kojimaru's lips when his eyes shifted down to lock onto the unnaturally shortened length of his godfather's left leg; the limb had been amputated just below the knee.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Hayama quietly assured the pre-teen as he dropped his hand down onto Kojimaru's shoulder.

Kojimaru bit his lip and jerkily nodded in response to his sensei's words. He then hesitantly crept up to the bed (his eyes warily eying the torture devices hooked up to his godfather) until he reached the chair beside the bed. His hands gripped the back of the chair in a white knuckled grip in an effort to stop his hands from shaking as his eyes inevitably returned to the shortened limb of his godfather's left leg. He had no idea just how long he'd been standing there before he found the courage to sit down in the chair and awkwardly latched onto Kosuke's hand; taking care to avoid touching any of the tubes and wires that had been attached to his godfather. He never noticed Hayama silently pull Tenzou from the room to give him a bit of privacy.

The young Chuunin would eventually fall asleep with his head pillowed on the bed beside Kosuke's hip with one hand clutching his godfather's hand like a lifeline.

* * *

><p><em>October 21, 0292 AtD, 12:01 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees as his eyes focused on the newly scarred Monument that loomed over the Hokage's Tower while he (and the rest of the village) waited for the Sandaime Hokage to make a village wide announcement. The twelve year old was seated precariously on an undamaged section of the curtain wall that guarded the Hokage's Tower alongside a good number of the village's able bodied shinobi while the courtyard below was packed tightly with civilians and the injured.

Pressed up against either side of him in a silent offer of support and comfort were Tenzou and Aoba. His self-adopted brothers had rarely left his side since the day after their team had returned to the village; the two of them taking it upon themselves to make certain that he took care of himself. If not for their stubborn support and well meaning bullying at times, he probably would have begun wasting away at Kosuke's bedside. They were the only ones that had been able to pry him away from Kosuke's unconscious side for a shower and food during the first two days they had been back.

It wasn't until Kosuke had woken up on the morning of the third day that Kojimaru felt a kernel of hope rekindle itself in his heart. He still didn't want to leave his godfather's side and he'd actually growled at the medics more than once when they attempted to chase him off the moment visiting hours were over or when they needed to change the bandages on Kosuke's leg. After the umpteenth complaint from the medical staff, Hayama had put his foot down and hauled the over-protective Kojimaru off to the closest training ground to knock a bit of sense into the pre-teen.

Since the day his Jounin-teichou had hauled him off for an attitude adjustment, Kojimaru had only been allowed to spend a handful of hours at the hospital each day. The rest of the time, he'd been helping to repair the damage that the Kyuubi had done to the village. Like the day that Iwa and Kumo had laid siege to the village, Kojimaru and Tenzou had both dropped their disguises and donned AnBu uniforms and unmarked masks (this time under Shikaku's direction) so that they could use their Mokuton to reconstruct the damaged perimeter wall and shore up the village's defenses.

It was a rather thankless job.

Few of the villagers (shinobi and civilian alike) could understand just how much effort and chakra it took to produce the sheer volume of wood required to rebuild the walls. Most of them wanted to hound the two Chuunin into producing complete buildings in the blink of an eye to replace those that had been crushed. Sure, he and Tenzou had grown during the six years since they'd earned their hitai-ate but they were still just children and they still had a lot to learn. If not for Shikaku and his two teammates personally looking out for the pair, they'd have ended up in the hospital or the morgue due to life threatening chakra exhaustion because of the many attempts to run them ragged.

As it was, by the end of each day, the two of them were utterly exhausted. Tenzou usually ended up in worse shape than Kojimaru after they'd finished what repairs they could for the day; the taller twelve year old still had smaller chakra reserves than Kojimaru. It didn't help that the supervisors preferred Tenzou to do the building because his Mokuton was more akin to actual construction while Kojimaru's was more along the lines of natural formation. Not that it really mattered either way when it came to the wall since their work would be hidden by a layer of chakra enhanced concrete and painted to match the rest of the wall.

Kojimaru's abilities would actually be used to regrow the ruined swaths of forest both inside and outside of the village once most of the wall had been repaired; the trees considered another layer of the village's defense in that they were heavily relied upon for concealment and as an alternate path for the shinobi. They were also an important resource as the many plants that grew beneath their boughs provided food, medicines, and poisons that were difficult to grow in a garden or green house. The game animals that they hunted made their homes in the forest as well and without that extra source of food, the village would suffer because the scattered farms in the area couldn't support the population of the village on their own.

The only reason the two boys weren't draining their reserves dry on the next repair project at the moment was because of the village wide announcement that the Hokage wished to make. Kojimaru would much rather be sitting guard over his godfather to make certain nothing further happened to the man while waiting for the medics to release him.

Kojimaru was just considering the chances of sneaking back to the hospital when he was alerted to the Hokage's arrival on the balcony overlooking the courtyard by a wave of silence washing over the gathered crowd. Dropping his eyes from the stone faces of the village's venerable leaders, Kojimaru let his eyes focus on the living face of their past and current leader. And though he was too far away to clearly see the man's face, the twelve year old knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen's face would be frozen in a stern but benevolent mask that barely held his grief in check. He'd seen that mask many times over the course of the war; the aged shinobi had worn that same look each time their team had walked into the Hokage's office for another mission.

"Tragedy has once again befallen upon our beloved village," the Sandaime intoned gravely; his voice easily carrying on the cool breeze that swirled in the October air. "Eleven days ago, our village was ravaged by the rampaging Kyuubi no Youko. Many of our comrades fell to the demon and many more were injured before the Yondaime Hokage defeated the Kyuubi by sealing him into a newborn child at the cost of his own life. Our village suffered extensive damage before the bijuu could be contained though. Hard times lie ahead for us. We will have to be vigilant to protect our home from those that will try to take advantage of us in our weakened state."

The Hokage paused for a moment as he glanced out over the crowd before he continued, "We have to hide our grief and stand strong now, more than ever. We can't allow even a single one of our enemies to think they have even a ghost of a chance to hurt us more in the wake of our tragedy. As such, I am officially reinstating the wartime protocols. All able bodied shinobi with a minimum of one year's experience will be pulled from the reconstruction and clean up efforts so that they can resume taking missions immediately. You will have three hours to present yourselves to my office to receive your new team formations and your next mission assignment."

"All members of the reserve forces are hereby reinstated to active duty. All civilians between the ages of fifteen and twenty that have had at least one year of training at the academy will be conscripted into the force. Those civilians with any medical training are asked to present themselves to the hospital to help tend to those people with minor and non-life threatening injuries. The minimum age required for entrance into the Shinobi Academy has been dropped back down to age four and the minimum graduation age once again lowered to age five."

"Effective immediately; curfew has been set at nine p.m. for all civilians and at ten p.m. for all academy students. Any non-shinobi caught on the streets after curfew will be taken into custody for questioning; exceptions will only be made for those working the graveyard shift at the hospital, those in need of immediate medical attention, and those civilians who are leaving or returning to the village after curfew on authorized missions in the company of a shinobi. And lastly, all citizens are required to carry their identification cards on them at all times; those individuals caught without a valid identification card will be taken into custody for questioning."

"Come on, you three; let's go get our marching orders," Hayama instructed the moment the Hokage walked back into the building as the rest of the crowd began to disperse.

Kojimaru numbly allowed Aoba and Tenzou to haul him to his feet before the three Chuunin followed after their captain while Tekuno brought up the rear. Their team would be amongst the first to arrive in the lobby outside of the Hokage's office along with several other young Genin and Chuunin that had graduated from the Academy right around the same time as they had. Kojimaru was quick to note that theirs was the only complete team present with Hayama and Tekuno being the only Jounin in the group.

Shikaku stepped out of the Hokage's office just a moment later and scanned the small crowd in his office before he addressed their team, "Oh good, the five of you are already here; so nice of you to save me the hassle of hunting you down. Come on in, the Hokage is expecting you. For the rest of you; all Genin are to report to the mission desk on the first floor where they will give you your new team assignments and all Chuunin are to gather in the briefing room on the second floor where you will pick up your new team assignments and job assignments."

Kojimaru felt more than a little nervous when he stepped into the office and saw that it wasn't just the Hokage waiting for them inside. He easily recognized Jiraiya the Sennin (a man he'd only seen from a distance a few times over the past eight years bar that first time he saw the man after he'd first been rescued from Orochimaru's lab), Maboroshi Kisuke (Tenzou's adopted uncle), Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chouza (the latter two Shikaku's teammates). There was also a rather intimidating bear of a man wearing a trench coat and a black bandana over his scalp that Kojimaru didn't know and another man in an AnBu uniform wearing Kasai's mask.

The twelve year old couldn't help but flinch when he heard Shikaku snap the door shut behind them the moment all five of them were inside of the office; his eyes never leaving the familiar trio of swirling flames on Kasai's mask. A heartbeat later, his attention was pulled from the imposter wearing a dead man's mask by the sound of the Hokage's voice as the aged shinobi addressed Team Fourteen.

"Due to the high number of fatalities and injuries that were incurred during the Kyuubi's attack a week and a half ago, it is far too impractical for me to keep a five-man squad on the active roster. As such, I am permanently disbanding Team Fourteen. Shirakumo Hayama and Kanden Tekuno; the two of you are being reassigned to a three-man Jounin squad with Mimura Hamaki. Your first assignment is to deliver urgent orders to the outposts situated along the border between Hi no Kuni and Na no Kuni."

"Once you have checked in with each of the outposts, you are to patrol that stretch of border until the thirtieth of November when you will be relieved by another team. I have already sent a Chuunin to track down and brief your final team member and he will be given instructions to meet you at the main gates in one hour."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Hayama replied as he stepped forward to take the satchel that Jiraiya held out for him. The Jounin then turned to face the three boys that he had worked with for six years now. "Even though Team Fourteen has been officially disbanded, the three of you will always be welcome to come to me if you ever need anything. Be careful and stay safe out there. And whatever you do, never stop growing and improving yourselves."

"Hai, sensei!" Aoba and Tenzou replied in unison while Kojimaru just nodded; his eyes shining brightly as he solemnly held the older man's gaze for several seconds.

"See you around, gaki," Tekuno affectionately added as he fondly ruffled their hair before he followed Hayama out of the office. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Cha no Kuni – Tea Country  
>Gaki – brat<br>Hai – yes  
>Na no Kuni – Vegetable Country (randomly selected country for Kusagakure to be located)<br>Obasan/oba – aunt  
>Ojisanoji – Uncle  
>Teichou – captain<br>Wakatta – I understand


	13. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirteen: The Aftermath<span>

_October 21, 0292 AtD, 12:38 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru watched the two men walk away until Shikaku closed the door behind them. He then swung his gaze back around to glare mutinously at the Hokage as the fear that he would also be separated from Tenzou and Aoba crowded into his heart. The soft sizzle of a privacy barrier being raised momentarily distracted the twelve year old from the object of his ire and he swung his gaze upwards to watch the barrier forming around the room before it disappeared from the visible spectrum.

"Chuunin Kojimaru and Tenzou; please release the disguises that you are wearing," the Sandaime ordered as soon as the room was secured.

"Nani…?" Tenzou blurted out in a slightly worried tone.

"The original arrangement that I made with Torifu just over eight years ago, was that I would remain ignorant of the hidden identities that I had asked him to create for you until the two of you were promoted to Chuunin or reached your fifteenth birthday; which ever came second. I knew that he had split the two of you up and had placed you in the care of different guardians for your protection but I certainly never expected him to have altered your faces to further hide you."

"I will confess that I had actually forgotten all about the two of you right up until I witnessed each of you using your Kekkei Genkai during the siege nearly three years ago. Had everything gone to plan, I would not have learned of your true identities for another three years. Unfortunately, Torifu was struck down by the Kyuubi on the tenth and one of the contingency plans he had set up for a number of different scenarios came into play and now here we are."

The Hokage paused a moment to light his pipe before he continued, "Torifu's notes contained a copy of the seals that he used to alter the color of your hair and eyes and as such, I am fully aware that the seals would have failed the moment that Torifu died; leaving the two of you vulnerable to discovery. What I would like, is for the two of you to deactivate the temporary seals that I was informed the two of you had been taught in the event that something happened to Torifu so that Jiraiya can reapply the original seal."

"Temporary…?" Tenzou repeated in confusion.

"Hai, temporary," Jiraiya agreed as he leaned to one side and scratched at the back of his left calf with his right foot. "It isn't the actual seal that was temporary but the method of activation that you were taught. The arrays were designed in such a way that it is impossible for a person to apply and fully activate the seal using their own chakra. In other words, someone else has to draw the seals and activate them for you in order for them to become semi-permanent. Didn't you wonder why you've had to activate the seals every twelve hours in order to maintain your disguises since Torifu's death?"

"Chigau," Tenzou answered with a shake of his head. "We didn't draw or activate our own seals; we drew and activated them for each other."

"I was under the impression that the two of you were only taught the seals that were used in your personal disguises and it would have taken a considerable amount of practice in order to flawlessly replicate the original seals used. And yet, I do not see any discrepancies in your disguises that are indicative of the presence of minor flaws that often appear when one merely copies an array."

"We taught each other how to draw both seals right from the start," Tenzou admitted with a light shrug; eliciting an amused snort of exasperation from Kisuke.

"I see. Can the two of you deactivate the seals so that we can inspect them? I would also like to see your actual faces again so that I can refresh my memory," the Hokage requested after taking a moment to digest Tenzou's answer.

Kojimaru and Tenzou automatically turned to share a single look before Kojimaru dropped his eyes to the floor and Tenzou turned to his guardian and asked, "Ojisan…?"

"Go ahead; you have nothing to fear from those in this room, Tenzou-kun," Kisuke replied without hesitation.

"The same goes for you, Kojimaru-kun," Shikaku interjected with a lazy drawl. "I spoke with Kosuke while Hokage-sama was making the announcement earlier and he gave his permission for you to do as the Hokage asks; knowing full well what you would be asked to do today. He also asked me to remind you that it is rude to give the Hokage the silent treatment."

"Okay," Kojimaru sighed tiredly as he brought his hands up to form the tiger seal. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment before he reopened his eyes and uttered a sharp but quiet, "Kai."

Everyone stared at the twelve year old expectantly but quickly began to frown when nothing changed. All three young Chuunin snickered softly (and weakly in Kojimaru's case) as they glanced at one another because Kojimaru had just released Tenzou's disguise, not his own. The funny part was that the adults should have known that the two boys couldn't dispel their own disguises because the arrays had incorporated a security seal in them to prevent anyone from walking up and dispelling their disguises by accident; meaning that only the original creator could deactivate the seals.

"Kai," Tenzou called out once he stopped laughing at the adults and the sound of flesh hitting flesh shot through the room as several of the adults palmed their faces the moment they realized they'd forgotten the way the seals worked.

"Such a startling contrast," the Hokage murmured as his gaze lingered on Kojimaru for a long moment before he glanced towards Tenzou. "I take it that you were already aware of who your teammates were and what they looked like, Chuunin Yamashiro?"

"Hai, I learned about their Kekkei Genkai and their past after the first time we ran into Iwa scouts on a mission. I didn't see what they looked like without their disguises until their seals broke during our last mission as part of Team Fourteen though."

"Are you going to split us up?" Kojimaru demanded before the Hokage could say another word; his green eyes zeroing in on the old man as a warning flashed through their depths.

"No," the Hokage replied after a long pause in which he held Kojimaru's gaze while he drew on his pipe. "I would be a fool to break up the three of you when you work so well together. If not for the staggering losses that we took during the Kyuubi's attack, I would not have pulled Hayama or Tekuno from your team either. I also received multiple warnings through the years from many sources on what happens to those that attempt to separate the two of you. I have no desire to wind up on the wrong side of one of your infamous pranks."

Kojimaru nodded sagely in response to the reassurance that he wasn't going to be torn from the rest of his teammates before he asked, "What's going to happen to us then?"

"I was getting to that," the Hokage chided with a trace of exasperation. Kojimaru blushed lightly at the rebuke but didn't really feel any remorse for demanding answers. "Jiraiya, if you will give their seals a quick inspection while I debrief them on their new duties?"

The white haired Sennin hummed an agreement before he approached Kojimaru while running through a short string of hands seals to activate a viewing technique that would allow him to reveal the hidden seals without actually activating them. Kojimaru fidgeted uncomfortably as the older shinobi's chakra slid across his skin and the man firmly grabbed hold of his chin to hold his face still.

"Knowing what I do now in regards to your skills in combination with your mission records from the last six years, it has been decided that the three of you will be designated as Team Kage from this point forward and you will be assigned to the Torture and Interrogation Department as a Capture and Retrieve Team where you will work closely with the AnBu's Hunter Nin Division. Once the village has recovered from this latest tragedy, the three of you will have the option of formally joining the T and I Department or the AnBu Ranks."

The Hokage paused just long enough for them to acknowledge their reassignment before he continued, "Allow me to introduce you to your direct supervisors; Morino Ibiki, the newly promoted head of the T and I Department, and Kasai, the AnBu Commander. They will be overseeing all future training for Team Kage from this point forward and will be the ones who decide which missions your team will be assigned for the foreseeable future."

Kojimaru glanced at the two men in question as they silently acknowledged their introductions with stoic nods instead of verbal replies. The twelve year old was slightly confused when his teammates seemed to recognize Morino-san's name since he would have surely remembered the intimidating, bear-like man's name if they'd met before. The fact that the Hokage had introduced the masked man as Kasai stirred up a mixture of negative emotions in the Chuunin though.

"That's not Kasai," Kojimaru stubbornly growled before his brain could filter his mouth as he jerked his chin out of Jiraiya's hands in agitation. He may not have particularly liked Kasai but he had respected him. "Kasai is dead."

"Kasai is the AnBu Commander. From the moment that the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai Corps was established by the Nidaime shortly after the village was formed, the commander of the Corps has been named Kasai and worn the mask of flames," Shikaku explained patiently as Jiraiya briefly recaptured Kojimaru's chin before he released the jutsu and let go. "It is not the man that defines the mask but the mask that defines the man and from the moment one takes up the mask, they become Kasai. Think of the name Kasai as more of a title rather than an actual name. Much like the leaders of our village each took up the title of Hokage upon their inauguration."

"The man you came to know as Kasai was named Akimichi Torifu," Chouza added in a deep rumble as Jiraiya moved over to check Tenzou's seals. "He was my uncle and he was a great man both in and out of the mask. He died fighting to protect this village and he would have been honored to know that you remembered and respected him. He would also be offended if you treated his successor with anything less than complete respect for my uncle carefully chose his successor five years ago from the men and women that he'd trained during the thirty years he'd worn the mask."

"Sumimasen, I meant no disrespect; Kasai-sama," Kojimaru contritely apologized as he bowed to the masked man who would be in a position to put him through living hell in the very near future. "I just…"

"Miss those who were taken from us before their time," Kasai finished for him; his light tenor far warmer than his predecessor's had been. "I took no offense to your defense of a man whom held your respect for I too feel like a fraud wearing the mask of my mentor. I can only hope that I will live up to the reputation that Torifu built for Kasai during his years as our Commander. Just keep in mind that I will not be so forgiving in the future should you intentionally be disrespectful of me or my status."

"Hai, Kasai-sama."

"Well, that one certainly has spirit," Ibiki quipped in a deep baritone laced with just the smallest hint of amusement – though no trace of said amusement actually crossed his face.

"I think the word you are actually looking for is troublesome," Shikaku countered with a weary sigh. "I should know; I used to babysit the gaki all the time."

"You're just jealous because the deer like me better than they like you," Kojimaru retorted as he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the lazy Nara.

"As entertaining as it would be to listen to the two of you tell incriminating stories about one another, I don't really have time to sit here and listen to you two see who can embarrass who more," the Hokage dryly interjected when Shikaku opened his mouth to reply.

"Mendoukusei."

"You ran right into that," Inoichi stage whispered as he leaned closer to the now disgruntled Nara.

"Was there anything else you needed to tell us, Hokage-sama?" Aoba inquired as Kojimaru and Tenzou both began snickering in response to Shikaku getting in trouble right alongside the green eyed pre-teen.

"No, I believe I have covered all of the pertinent points. Ibiki can explain the details of your new assignments, give you your new schedules, and answer any questions that you might have. Jiraiya, are you finished examining their seals?"

"Hai, sensei; I saw what I needed to see and both arrays are flawless. They even incorporated both secondary seal arrays that Kasai mentioned in his notes into the arrays."

"I guess that means the three of you are dismissed."

"Follow me, boys," Ibiki instructed as he headed for the door without bothering to glance in their direction.

Kojimaru sighed as he gathered a pulse of chakra in his right hand and tapped Tenzou on the center of his forehead to activate the color changing seals at the same time as Tenzou did the same for him. He shivered and shook his head to shake off the odd feeling of his eyes being altered before he trotted after his new supervisor. Just before he exited the room, he glanced back over his shoulder to meet the Hokage's and the new Kasai's gaze one last time.

"What were you thinking, Kojimaru? Were you trying to get yourself a citation?" Aoba demanded in a low hiss as the three of the hurried to catch up with Ibiki.

"I'm tired," Kojimaru replied as he deftly slipped through the group of shinobi that had gathered in the lobby outside of the Hokage's office; most of them Jounin. "They were going to split us up. And I was scared that they would order me out of the village on a mission. Kosuke-oji is being released today and he's going to need help around the house while his… his leg finishes healing before they can fit him for a prosthetic. He'll need me to take care of the gardens, do the grocery shopping, and collect those things he doesn't grow at home from the forest. I can't do all of that if I'm not in the village and there won't be any shinobi to spare for such mundane tasks."

"What makes you think they were going to split us up?" Aoba asked after a moment; the rest of Kojimaru's statement not exactly unexpected given how deeply Kojimaru had been affected by his godfather's injury.

"When I asked him if he was going to split us up, the Hokage hesitated before he actually answered. He was weighing the benefits and drawbacks to allowing us to remain a team. He probably made plans for either scenario and waited until the last minute to make a decision; which would have been when we were standing in front of him."

"Actually, it was Torifu who planned to split the two of you up at the first opportunity presented," Ibiki interjected as the four of them stepped outside of the tower. "Shikaku argued against taking that course of action before he put forth the suggestion of having you work with my department. Having a dedicated team capable of capturing spies, traitors, and any number of suspected and known criminals would be far more beneficial to my department than requiring us to file missions for teams that may or may not be able to pull off the missions because the number of Jounin available for such missions was drastically reduced."

"Why not ask for Hayama-teichou and Tekuno-san to be assigned to your department then?" Tenzou asked curiously as they moved from the streets to the rooftops to avoid the workers that were cleaning up the debris that was still scattered about the entire village. "They are far more experienced than us."

"Two reasons; the first is that you needed to be pulled from the repair crews before some stupid fool got you killed by over working you to take advantage of your unique abilities and the second because Shikaku predicted that you would balk at being forced out of the village on a near constant basis due to the injuries that your godfather sustained."

"I guess that means I owe Shikaku-san a huge debt," Kojimaru murmured softly as he glanced back over his shoulder towards the Hokage Tower as if to catch a glimpse of the man in question.

"Why not offer him your services as a babysitter? I think he'd appreciate the irony of his former charge being charged to watch over his son from time to time," Aoba suggested with a grin. "And we both know you'd love the chance to corrupt a Nara."

"That could be fun," Tenzou agreed with an answering grin.

"Ano… Morino-san, why did you agree to that suggestion?" Kojimaru inquired once he realized that the man had only half answered Tenzou's question.

"Because I owe you and your team a debt," Ibiki replied as he slowed to a stop and glanced down at the trio of Chuunin. "If not for Team Fourteen, I would have died four years ago. I also know that you risked your life to transport the bodies of my teammates home so that they could be properly laid to rest and brought word to the Hokage of Team Taka's fate."

"You're welcome," Aoba sincerely and solemnly replied before a rather mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he slyly asked, "Does that mean you'll go easy on us when it comes to training?" Ibiki just gave the fifteen year old a _look_ over his shoulder that had the teen shuddering. "Just joking around a bit, Ibiki-san…"

"Ha, ha, ha," Ibiki slowly laughed in a creepy monotone that actually freaked all three boys out; though they tried not to show it.

They were so busy pretending not to be scared that they completely missed the smug smirk that briefly flashed across Ibiki's face. Silence settled over the trio at that point, their insecurities (which were mostly Kojimaru and Tenzou's insecurities) rearing their heads due to the rapid changes that had been made to their lives that afternoon. They would arrive at the T and I Facility just eight minutes later.

The next hour was spent getting a bare bones tour of the facility and learning the protocols that they would be required to follow now that they were working for the department. It was a lot of information to take in but Ibiki kindly provided them each with a scroll detailing all of the rules and regulations that they would need to memorize and follow. They were then dismissed for the day and told to show up bright and early the following morning for a skill assessment and a medical evaluation.

As soon as Kojimaru said his goodbyes, he dashed off towards the hospital to see if his godfather had been discharged by the medics yet. The moment he reached the front of the hospital, Kojimaru stumbled to a stop as he unexpectedly found Kosuke patiently sitting on one of the benches just outside of the entrance. A grin threatened to split the twelve year old's face in half as he immediately realized that his godfather had both been discharged from the hospital and that the man had waited for him instead of just heading straight home.

"Ojisan!" Kojimaru called happily as he all but flew up the stairs. He just barely managed to restrain the urge he felt to throw himself into the man's arms; the knowledge that his godfather was still healing the only thing stopping him. His eyes studiously ignored the empty half of pant leg that was pinned to Kosuke's left thigh as he asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just sat down a few minutes ago. I thought it would be nice to sit out here and enjoy the fresh air while I waited for you," Kosuke replied with a smile.

"Did you want to sit here for a while before we head home?" Kojimaru asked a little hesitantly; he had no idea how to treat his godfather at the moment – the pre-teen knew the man would not take kindly to being coddled like an invalid but also wished to keep the man from overdoing things.

"No, I am ready to see my gardens and enjoy a cup of real tea," Kosuke replied as he pushed himself up onto his foot while collecting the pair of crutches he'd been issued.

The walk home had never seemed so long or so fraught with danger and Kojimaru felt his insides twisting each time his godfather faltered as he maneuvered around large sections of broken concrete or partially collapsed walls. He snapped at more than a few people that had been carelessly rushing along the roads when they bumped into Kosuke and nearly knocked him over; the twelve year old memorizing the faces of those that didn't apologize even as he began planning retaliation pranks for their rudeness.

Kojimaru felt nothing but relief when they finally reached the house; only for that relief to turn to shock and dismay when he took in the state of the house. The front garden was a mess and he could see the koi floating belly up in the pond; all twelve of the two foot long fish long dead, their bodies bloated in death. Most of the plants were dead or dying and there was a fine layer of chalky dust coating everything. The house itself was still standing but the roof had been damaged in places due to flying debris and there was even an uprooted tree sticking out of the side of the house.

Since the day they had returned to the village, Kojimaru had avoided the house since he believed that he wouldn't be able to get through the barriers without Kosuke. He also hadn't wanted to be alone inside of the house that held so much of his godfather in it when he knew his worry would drive him to nightmares. Shame filled him over the state of the house because he'd been too scared to even bother checking on the house and had not even considered that his godfather might not have had time to raise the defensive barriers before he left to help fight off the Kyuubi.

"It looks like we have a bit of work to do," Kosuke mused around a heavy sigh.

"Gomen, oji; I should have…"

"It is not your fault; I know you have not had an easy time since returning. I also know that you have been kept busy helping with the village wide repairs. As bad as the damage is, it could have been far worse. And salvaging what I can of our gardens will help me keep from growing too bored when you are not here to distract me from my convalescence. Come; let us go see if the kitchen is usable or if we will need to break out our camping gear to brew a pot of tea."

"Hai, oji."

The kitchen turned out to be a complete mess; what with the tree sitting in the middle of the room. Kojimaru couldn't just remove the tree using his Mokuton because someone would notice right away since the tree rather large. Luckily, their camping supplies had been unharmed and in no time at all, Kojimaru was heating up the water for their tea over a coffee can campfire. Going through the familiar motions of brewing tea also allowed the twelve year old to center himself; which had been the point of Kosuke asking him to brew the tea instead of brewing it himself like he normally would.

The two of them had been sitting on the kitchen floor amidst the branches of the tree cluttering up the room sipping tea in silence for nearly a half an hour when Kosuke set his cup down and let out a sigh before he stated, "Something is bothering you."

"Hai," Kojimaru quietly admitted as he kept his eyes fixed on the cooling amber liquid in his cup. "A whole lot of somethings, actually."

"Hnn. When you are ready to talk, I will be here to listen."

"The Hokage disbanded Team Fourteen," Kojimaru offered as he curled in on himself. "Well, more like split it in half."

"Did he place you and Tenzou on separate teams?" Kosuke inquired with some concern; his godfather well aware of just how distraught and irritable his godson became when separated from his best friend.

"Iie, he pulled Hayama and Tekuno from the team to form a three-man cell with another Jounin; leaving me, Tenzou, and Aoba alone. We're Team Kage now. We won't be going on normal missions any more either; we've been assigned to the T and I department."

"You do not wish to be part of that department."

"No, I don't. They're going to have us hunting down and capturing people again. It's slightly better than hunting and killing but I still don't really like it."

"You are afraid that it will remind you too much of the war."

"Partially… mostly I just fear that we will end up facing off against… I mean, we'll be chasing after criminals, traitors, and spies and _he_ is a traitor."

"Why does the mere possibility that you could face Orochimaru still frighten you so much, Kojimaru?"

"Because I want to face him; I want to kill him for what he did to me. To Tenzou. To the others that didn't survive. I hate him. I hate what he stole from me… from us. And I want to rip the answers to all of the questions I've never been able to answer right out of his mind. Most of all, I just want to make him suffer the way that he made us suffer."

"You want revenge," Kosuke quietly surmised.

"Yes; and that is what frightens me. I don't want to be like those missing nin we've captured in the past that were so consumed by their hatred that they threw away everything to seek vengeance."

"I do not believe that you will ever abandon the village or your friends," Kosuke stated with certainty as he poured himself a fresh cup of tea. "That is not who you are. The fact that you acknowledge your fears and your flaws are proof enough that you would fight against falling into the trap of an avenger."

Kojimaru felt a measure of tension melt away upon hearing his godfather's words. He then glanced up from his cup and gave Kosuke a small smile of thanks; though he was extra careful not to let his gaze touch upon his godfather's missing leg in passing.

"Was that all that has been bothering you or was there something else?"

Kojimaru just shrugged as he dropped his eyes back to his tea; there was actually a lot still bothering him. He just didn't know if he could actually bring it up just yet. He wanted to but he was almost afraid of what his godfather would think of him if he did. The silence would drag out for several minutes before Kosuke prompted him, "Kojimaru…?"

"Kasai… Torifu is dead. Someone else wears his mask now," Kojimaru blurted out as his resolve to keep his insecurities to himself crumbled under his need for reassurance. "We were still on our last mission when the seals broke."

"He did," Kosuke agreed solemnly. "A lot of good people died that night."

"I almost lost you."

"I am old, Kojimaru; and I will not live forever. I am also a shinobi and I have sworn to protect our village with my life."

"I know that. I do. I just… It's just that… you're the closest thing to a parent I've ever known and I don't know what I'd do without you. I know I'd never be alone… not so long as I had Tenzou and Aoba but I'd still be lost without you."

Kojimaru felt his godfather's strong arms wrap around him a heartbeat later and he didn't hesitate to press his face into the man's chest in return. And while his godfather's strength had been diminished by his injury, he was by no means a feeble old man and the proof that Kosuke hadn't lost all of his strength was a balm to his soul. That his godfather was not angry with him for being too weak and too needy was a relief. He may be a Chuunin and an adult in the eyes of the law due to the hitai-ate he wore on his head but he was still just a twelve year old boy and a child at heart regardless of how much of his innocence had been stripped away by Orochimaru and the war.

Several minutes later, Kojimaru pulled back and got up so that he could help his godfather up off of the floor. He then hurried towards the back of the house to prepare Kosuke's futon so that his godfather could get some rest. Once the man was settled, Kojimaru began systematically moving through the house cleaning up the little messes around the house that would make it difficult for his godfather to move around. When he reached the kitchen, Kojimaru stood and stared at the tree for a long time as he puzzled out the best way to deal with the obstruction without revealing his Kekkei Genkai to the neighbors (few though they were).

After considering all of the possibilities, he simply used a hand saw to cut the tree in half at the point of entry. The portion that was outside was then left untouched while he turned the rest of the tree into firewood by using his Mokuton to alter the width of the branches and trunk before cutting them into sections with the saw. He then stacked the resulting logs in a neat pile out on the porch at the back of the house. The other half of the tree would have to be dealt with later as he'd need to actually split the trunk by hand instead of using his Kekkei Genkai to make the tree more manageable.

The last task he took care of that night was fishing out the dead bodies of the koi from the pond so that he could bury them throughout the garden as his godfather had taught him to do so that their bodies would provide nutrients to the plants as they decomposed.

Kojimaru would be up bright and early the next morning after the first decent night's sleep he'd had since the tenth. He immediately set about making breakfast for himself and his godfather after he'd gotten dressed for the day. The twelve year old then left his godfather's meal on the electric warming plate that Kosuke had bought several years earlier. Aoba and Tenzou showed up just a few minutes later and Kojimaru scribbled out a short note to let his godfather know where he'd gone before he left the house with his teammates.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (AnBu) – Assassination Tactics Special Military Force  
>Chigau – can be used to mean wrong, no, or to differ<br>Hai – yes  
>Iie – no<br>Kai – release  
>Nani – what<br>Ojisan/oji – Uncle


	14. The Reassignment

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fourteen: The Reassignment<span>

_July 31, 0294 AtD, 6:29 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru rolled over onto his back and stretched out his sleep cramped muscles before he peeled open his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. A heartbeat later, he recalled exactly what day it was and his eyes lit up with excitement as he scrambled out of bed and rushed through his morning ablutions. Ever since he'd come to live with Kosuke ten and a half years ago, his godfather (and often times his friends) had taken extra care to make his birthdays something special (even if they were nothing extravagant). Today would be no exception.

As soon as he was dressed and ready, Kojimaru dashed through the house towards the kitchen where Kosuke was just pouring four cups of tea. The reason for the two extra cups became apparent the moment Kojimaru was tackled from behind by Tenzou while Aoba laughed and stepped over them as they rolled across the floor.

"No wrestling in the house," Kosuke sternly reminded the two younger boys.

"Hai, Kosuke-oji," both boys called in unison as they broke apart and climbed to their feet.

"Happy birthday, Kojimaru," Aoba stated as he ruffled the younger teen's hair before handing him a heavy package wrapped in newsprint.

"Thanks, Aoba-nii," Kojimaru replied as he grinned up at the taller boy. The gift was then set beside the handful of other gifts that were sitting on the kitchen counter before he took his seat at the table as his godfather served him his tea and his breakfast. "Thank you, ojisan."

As he ate his vegetable omelet, Kojimaru let his thoughts drift back over the past two years.

The first six months after the Kyuubi's attack had been difficult. Kojimaru had struggled to adjust to all of the changes in his life and cope with the insecurities that Kosuke's injury had stirred up on top of that. The only two things that kept him from snapping during those months were his teammates and the harsh training regime that Kasai and Ibiki had put together for their team. There wasn't a single day during that time that the three of them hadn't dragged themselves home covered in blood and bruises.

By the end of the sixth month, the hellish training sessions began paying dividends; all three of them noticing a jump in their strength, stamina, and speed on top of near doubling their chakra reserves. Their pain threshold had also increased; though to be fair, Kojimaru and Tenzou's pain tolerance had always been fairly high because of their time as part of Orochimaru's experiments. The biggest improvements that Kojimaru had made during that time had actually been in chakra control. Kasai had been brutal in beating it into him that adequate was not acceptable; the man accepting nothing less than perfection from all three of them.

The improved chakra control had in turn allowed his ninjutsu skills to blossom from dangerous to deadly since it allowed him better control over how much chakra he wasted when casting each jutsu which in turn allowed him to fight longer without the risk of killing himself with chakra exhaustion. He still couldn't use genjutsu or medical jutsu but that hardly mattered since genjutsu never quite properly worked on or for him and his internal healing ability made serious injuries far less crippling for him. The fact that all three of them had been given extensive triage training during the war also meant that the three of them could buy each other enough time to get to a hospital or medic if one of them were critically injured.

Over the next eighteen months that followed those first sixth months, Ibiki had further built on their emergency first aide skills by giving them in depth lessons on human anatomy; teaching the three of them how to inflict maximum pain without causing fatal injuries and how to numb a person's body to pain. He also taught them which nerve groups could be used to incapacitate their target by knocking them unconscious, paralyzing their muscles, or putting them into a death-like state. Once they had memorized that information, Ibiki had moved onto poisons, drugs, and antidotes; all three of which the three teens had a solid foundation in thanks to Kosuke's lessons through the years.

The last thing that Ibiki had diligently trained the newly renamed Team Kage in was genjutsu resistance. That part of their training involved the three of them being repeatedly subjected to a wide range of Ibiki's less sadistic genjutsu that targeted each of a victim's senses. And while Kojimaru had a natural resistance to genjutsu, he diligently suffered through those training sessions right alongside of Tenzou and Aoba. All three of them would quickly learn how to instinctively incorporate a constant stream of minute changes in their body's natural chakra flow in order to allow their bodies to automatically disrupt and dispel any genjutsu they encountered.

At the same time, it increased their spatial awareness and improved all of their senses which in turn made it far harder to sneak up on them (though not impossible). It also worked to improve both Aoba's and Tenzou's ability to sense chakra; both of them chakra sensors with Aoba activating his ability through extensive training while Tenzou's ability had manifested right around the same time that he had activated his Mokuton. The ability to unconsciously direct the internal flow of his chakra also gave Kojimaru's internal healing ability a boost as it allowed him to guide his ability through the healing process more efficiently in the event that he received multiple injuries (allowing him to force his healing ability to ignore minor injuries in favor of dealing with the major injuries first).

Kasai's training during that period continued to focus on their physical conditioning and working on their stealth, tracking, infiltration, and observation skills. His method of training involved sending the three of them (both as a group and individually) through an obstacle course within the AnBu Training Facility called The Gauntlet.

The course had five distinct terrains; a forest, a desert, a field of boulders, a grassy plain, and a swamp. Each terrain not only offered different natural obstacles that one would have to cope with but held traps geared towards one of the main five elements; fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water respectively. On top of that, there were AnBu trainers assigned to work in each section and their job was to play the part of the enemy. The trainers were very good at their jobs; driving the trainees sent through their domain to rapid self improvement or a mental breakdown; effectively weeding out those that were ill-suited for life inside of the AnBu Corps.

Each time they were sent through the course, they were given a different goal to achieve; such as evading all of the trainers, getting through the entire course in a specific time frame, collecting a specific item hidden within one of the five sections, or capturing a specific trainer. At the end of each trial, they would be evaluated on their performance by the lead trainer for each of the five sections and occasionally by Kasai (when the Commander had time). At the end of each evaluation, they would be given a detailed list of which areas they needed to work on and an accompanying list of exercises geared towards their individual weaknesses.

At the start of their training, Kasai had Team Kage running through the gauntlet as a team once a month. By the end of their second year, he had them running through it once a week as a team and twice a month on their own. As difficult as that training was, there was no question on whether or not it was effective; all three teens now leagues above where they had been on the day of the Kyuubi's attack. They had also gained quite an impressive collection of ninjutsu to add to their arsenal.

Kojimaru had learned three new clone techniques; the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Doro Bunshin no Jutsu, and Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu. The doton techniques that he learned were Doryuusou no Jutsu, Doro Gaeshi, Doro Kanketsusen, Doryuudan no Jutsu, Doryuu Heki, Moguragakure no Jutsu, and Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu. For suiton, he had learned the Hahonryuu, Haran Banshou, Mizu no Muchi, Mizu no Tatsumaki, Mizurappa, Suigadan, Suihashu, and Takitsubo no Jutsu. And lastly, the futon techniques he was taught were Dai Kamaitachi, Daitoppa no Jutsu, Fuuryuudan no Jutsu, Kazekiri no Jutsu, and Reppushou.

Tenzou had been taught the same group of jutsu, including those associated with the wind element despite the fact that he didn't have an affinity for fuuton. Aoba, on the other hand, had been taught a large collection of katon jutsu, the Kage Bunshin, and a number of other non-elemental based jutsu such as the Karasu Bunshin no Jutsu, Sanzengarasu no Jutsu, a handful of genjutsu, and several additional high level interrogation techniques.

The missions they had taken over the course of those two years were not all that much different than the missions that they had often taken during the final year of the war. The only real difference was that instead of capturing key targets for information, they were capturing civilian criminals that had a price on their head; their job being to bring in those criminals so that Konoha could claim the bounties – bringing much needed revenue into the village. They wouldn't be sent out after low level shinobi criminals until after their eighteenth month of training under Kasai and Ibiki.

Taking missions without Hayama and Tekuno had been very odd in the beginning; all three Chuunin constantly looking for the two adults and expecting them to hand out their orders. It was also rather odd to spend so much time in the village between missions; Kasai and Ibiki only giving them two or three missions per month while before they'd taken between eight and twelve a month (depending on the travel times involved and the duration of the mission itself). Kojimaru hadn't minded the reduction in missions though; the extra time at home had allowed him to help his godfather until the man was fully recovered.

Although, to be fair, Kosuke didn't really need all that much help. The man was resourceful and resilient; he was a shinobi, after all. Kojimaru knew that but that didn't mean he didn't do everything he could to make his godfather's life a little easier. And his godfather willingly allowed him to do so after seeing how much it mattered to the then pre-teen.

Once Kosuke's stump had healed completely, the old veteran had gotten the foreshortened leg measured for a prosthetic limb; he had no intention of retiring just because he'd lost a bit of his leg. Kojimaru wasn't surprised and surprisingly he wasn't worried or angry about his godfather's choice. He would have been far more worried if his godfather had given up because it would have meant that the man had lost his will to live.

The first prosthetic that Kosuke had worn had been nothing more than a wooden peg with a sleeve that attached to his stump. Kojimaru had hated that thing. Not only was the wood of an inferior quality, it was hard to balance on and openly advertised Kosuke's disability. After watching his godfather hobble around on the civilian made construct for two weeks, Kojimaru had taken a casting of his godfather's left leg and grown him a proper prosthetic based upon the resulting plaster model (creating a mirror image of Kosuke's right foot). Tenzou had then helped him create working joints for the wooden leg; the younger boy far more knowledgeable in wood crafting than Kojimaru.

Because the new prosthetic had been made from wood Kojimaru had grown, it was far denser and far stronger than ordinary wood. It was also far easier to channel chakra into; meaning that Kosuke could extend his chakra down into the prosthetic and make the wooden leg a part of his body. As soon as the prosthetic was considered perfect (which took a few tries to get the joints working smoothly), Kojimaru and Tenzou created several extras in case the original one was damaged or lost.

Not long after that, Kosuke resumed training in order to regain the mobility he'd lost when he'd been injured. Kojimaru joined him on occasion (when he wasn't exhausted beyond words by his own training regime or out on a mission). It was while they were sparring with their blades that Kojimaru came up with the idea to conceal a blade within the prosthetic limb he'd helped create. A hidden blade would be both a hidden trump card for his godfather and a backup prosthetic in the event that the wooden limb was lost or damaged in the middle of the fight and his godfather didn't have time to pull out a spare to replace it.

Kosuke had been amendable to the idea and after several weeks of trial and error, Kojimaru had forged a heavy blade that could bear Kosuke's weight. He'd then turned the prosthetic leg (and the spares) into sheaths for the blade. The only disappointing thing about the blade that Kojimaru had made (in the teen's opinion) was that it was just made from regular steel and not chakra conductive metal. Purchasing enough chakra conductive metal to forge a blade the size and weight of Kosuke's leg blade would require a small fortune though and Kosuke had told Kojimaru in no uncertain terms that he was not allowed to drain his entire savings account on something so trivial.

Kojimaru finished the last bite of his omelet and poured himself a fresh cup of mint tea as his thoughts turned from his personal life to the changes that the village had gone through over the past two years.

Right after the Kyuubi's attack, the village had been a mess and that wasn't even taking into consideration the physical destruction that had been caused by the Kyuubi's rampage. The people, as a whole, were angry and grieving. They lashed out repeatedly or curled in on themselves and wished for death. And while everyone grieved for the Yondaime Hokage, those that had lost close friends or family were quick to grow bitter and resentful of those that hadn't lost any one close. Civilians had even turned on the village's shinobi a time or two because the shinobi were no longer helping clean up the village.

Things had then taken a turn for the worse even as the overall atmosphere of the village improved when someone had leaked the name and description of the Kyuubi's new host around the six month anniversary of the attack. All of the village's hate was immediately directed at the babe. To Kojimaru, it had seemed so wrong for a child to shoulder the burden of an entire village's hate and he struggled to understand why people blamed a baby for something that had in no way been his fault.

The Sandaime had quickly tried to mitigate the fallout from the leak but the damage was already done. All he could do was to try to shield the babe from the angry mobs that demanded the child's be exiled from the village or executed. By the end of the first week, the Sandaime had gotten fed up with the animosity and created several laws that were intended to protect the child.

The first of which was to make it illegal for anyone to reveal the child's status as a Jinchuuriki to any one who did not already know. In conjunction with that law, was another making it illegal to speak about the Kyuubi's imprisonment; the official story being twisted to claim that the Yondaime had killed the demon fox instead of sealing it into a new host. The final law enacted, was one that protected the child from the more violent villagers; making it illegal for any adult to physically assault any child (normal training and sparring the only exception, providing the blows weren't excessive or abusive in nature).

Any one caught breaking any one of the new laws would be handed over to the T and I Department for questioning before they were publicly executed.

Three people would be executed in front of the entire village before the village began taking the laws seriously. And while the laws stopped people from talking about the Kyuubi, spreading word of the host's identity to the uniformed (which would mostly be those in the village under the age of five at the time of the attack and future immigrants), or actively seeking to harm the baby; they did nothing to stop the hate. By the time the second month had passed, the village as a whole (bar a small handful of individuals) had decided to ostracize little Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi (a decision that wouldn't really affect the child until he was much older).

Kojimaru felt rather upset about the entire situation. There was no way he could ever hate little Naruto for the burden he held and believed that the child should be protected but he wasn't exactly in a position to do anything about it. The fact that he was still so young meant that few people would listen to him when he admonished them for taking their anger, fear, and grief out on a single child. All he could do was prank the ignorant and keep an eye and ear out for those that broke the Sandaime's laws since his duties, training, and social circles didn't allow him to directly interact with the child or protect him from the worst of the hate.

Eventually, Uzumaki Naruto would fall into temporary obscurity as the village slowly healed and her people picked up the pieces of their shattered lives and moved on. That's not to say that Naruto was forgotten, he wasn't. It was more that people purposefully began ignoring the babe entirely; an easy feat for most people since so few people were allowed direct contact with little Naruto. Pretending that the child didn't exist for the time being was also far safer than risking a one way trip to Ibiki's domain followed by a public beheading.

The newly turned fourteen year old was pulled from his musings by his teammates exchanging his empty plate out for the small stack of presents while stealing his not quite empty cup. Kojimaru mock glared at the pair for taking his tea before he reached for the topmost gift. A quick scan of the tag revealed that it was from Tenzou and he ripped off the bright green paper to find an expertly carved teak box filled with neatly arranged seed packets for a small assortment of imported flowers, herbs, and trees whose fruit, leaves, roots, and blossoms were often used in teas and were currently not growing in his and his godfather's extensive gardens.

"Now I won't have to listen to you complain about the ridiculous prices of imported teas because you can grow and cure your own leaves, roots, petals, and berries," Tenzou quipped playfully the moment Kojimaru had glanced up from the box to thank him.

"Are you sure this wasn't just a hint that you miss my exquisite tea brewing skills?" Kojimaru countered with a smirk; there had been little time for tea over the past two years between their training and missions – something that often annoyed the artificial red head.

"Well I certainly won't miss your complaints about substandard teas," Aoba interjected as he pushed his gift closer to Kojimaru in a silent request to open that one next.

"S'not my fault so few people appreciate the delicate art of brewing tea and even fewer people are competent enough to brew a proper cup or ten," Kojimaru shot back as he obligingly tore the paper from Aoba's gift to find a pair of slate stepping stones. Kojimaru's left eye twitched as he stared down at the twin tiles before he glanced up and sarcastically stated, "Oh wow, Aoba, just what I always wanted; a matching set of stepping stones."

Aoba and Tenzou both snickered in response before Aoba replied, "I owed you for that stunt you pulled two months ago; Ibiki got all over my case because it took me a week to get all of the glow-in-the-dark paint out of my uniform. Turn the top tile over, Kojimaru; your real present is taped to the bottom."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault! I set that trap for Izumo and Kotetsu to pay them back for dumping a bucket of sticky syrup on my head when I walked into the Facility on April first," Kojimaru reminded his teammate as he flipped the top stone over and peeled the envelope from the back of the tile. After carefully ripping the edge off of the envelope, Kojimaru pulled out the contents to find a reservation slip for one of Konoha's nicer tea houses for that afternoon.

"You can invite up to six guests to attend the ceremony with you," Aoba offered before Kojimaru even finished reading the details on the slip. "I reserved one of their nicer rooms for a full two hours."

"Thanks, Aoba; the two of you will go with me right?" Kojimaru replied as he glanced between his teammates.

"Sure," Tenzou agreed without any hesitation.

"Of course," Aoba added a split second later.

"Ojisan, are you free this afternoon to join us at the Flowering Petal Tea House?"

"Wouldn't you prefer to invite some of your other friends?" Kosuke inquired after thinking about it for a moment.

"No, we've got plans to meet up with Hayama-sensei and the others at Yakiniku Q for supper; which you are welcome to join us for as well."

"What time is your reservation at the Flowering Petal?"

"Two fifteen."

"In that case, I would not mind joining you for tea this afternoon and for your party at Yakiniku Q's for supper."

Kojimaru smiled at his godfather before he turned back to his friends and asked, "Tenzou, I know Kisuke is out of town on a mission but do you think Emiko-san would like to join us? Aoba, what about your parents? Will they be able to take time off to join us?"

"Otousan probably won't want to leave the shop but okaasan would undoubtedly love to have a chance to catch up with Emiko-san," Aoba replied; the older teen referring to the small shinobi clothing store his parents owned and ran.

"I'm sure obasan would love to go," Tenzou replied next. "I'll ask her later this morning after our appointment with the Hokage."

"We could also ask Yoshino-san if she would like to come with us; she's always complaining that Shikaku never takes her out anywhere," Kojimaru mused as he set the stepping stones on the floor beside the table and tucked the reservation slip into a zippered pocket on his flak jacket (which while far better fitting than it had been when he first got it was still a bit too big for him) so that it would not be lost. "What time is our appointment with the Hokage?"

"Eight o'clock," Aoba answered. "So you have just enough time to finish opening your presents before we have to head on over to the Hokage's tower."

Kojimaru hummed in acknowledgement as he reached out to pick up the last two presents; both of which were from his godfather. The first gift turned out to be three sets of wagashi molds; one with different shaped leaves, one with assorted blossoms, and the last one filled with fruit shaped molds. The final gift was a dessert cook book filled with an assortment of recipes for those dishes, candies, and sweets that were usually served with teas or on specific holidays. Both gifts were perfect as Kojimaru had recently developed an interest in expanding his culinary skills to include something other than just making main courses, side dishes, and one dish meals.

After thanking his godfather for the gifts, Kojimaru hurried to put the rest of his presents away and fill his canteen up with tea (mere water was for tea hating barbarians). He then said goodbye to Kosuke and hurried out the door with his teammates so they could get to the Hokage's tower a little early; they weren't exactly close enough to the Sandaime to get away with being late to a meeting like Hatake Kakashi or Yamaguchi Jiraiya could.

Kojimaru was more than a little nervous about meeting with the Hokage. It wasn't that he was frightened of the old man, though he could be very intimidating. It was that meetings with the Hokage tended to end with life altering changes that affected Kojimaru on a rather personal basis. Such as his rescue and eventual placement with Kosuke (though that was mostly Torifu's doing), his acceptance into the Shinobi Academy, his promotion to Chuunin, and the disbanding of Team Fourteen just to name a few. And while those weren't necessarily bad things (aside from taking Hayama-sensei and Tekuno away from their team); they had taken quite a bit of getting used to.

Shaking away that rather minor insecurity, Kojimaru focused his attention on the streets of Konoha as the village came to life around them. While he still didn't feel very comfortable in a crowd, he no longer felt quite as trapped as he had the first time he'd laid eyes upon the village; even if he did go out of his way to avoid being touched by strangers. He had even learned to enjoy watching people as they went about their business over the past two years through his lessons in observation with Kasai and Ibiki. There was so much a shinobi could learn about a person just by looking at them.

By the time they reached the Hokage's Tower at the base of the Hokage Mountain roughly twenty-three minutes later, Kojimaru was feeling rather relaxed as his earlier excitement returned. It was his birthday, after all, and he wasn't going to let anything get him down. Not when he had a tea ceremony to look forward to that afternoon.

They had barely settled onto the stiff chairs that filled the small lobby outside of the Hokage's office when the Hokage's Chuunin secretary indicated that the Hokage would see them now. Climbing back to their feet, the trio took a moment to straighten up their uniforms (which consisted of the basic dark blue shinobi shirt and pants and green flack jacket) before they approached the Hokage's office. As the oldest member of their team, Aoba was volunteered to go first by Tenzou and Kojimaru giving him a push forward at the last second.

After giving the two younger teens a mock glare, the seventeen year old knocked sharply on the door before walking into the office. Kojimaru resisted the urge to snicker in response a second later as he passed through the door at the same time as Tenzou. His amusement fled an instant later when he noticed that Shikaku, Ibiki, and Kasai were all present as well and his earlier anxiety returned with a vengeance as he wondered again why the Hokage had called for Team Kage.

"Good morning, gentlemen; I appreciate your promptness this morning," the Sandaime intoned the moment the three of them had lined up in front of his desk. "Since I am certain that at least one of you has plans for the day, considering what day it is, I will try to keep our meeting brief and to the point. I will start by saying that I was very impressed with the growth that the three of you have displayed over the past two years; all three of you exceeded my expectations based upon what I'd read in your files two years ago."

"Part of that, I'm sure, was strictly due to Shirakumo Hayama down playing your abilities during the six years you'd spent under his captaincy. That isn't necessarily a bad thing; since it did keep the three of you out of the spotlight for the most part. In fact, the three of you have somehow managed to keep yourselves from being noticed by more than two thirds of the shinobi villages currently in existence. Not even a single Bingo Book entry turned up for a single one of you and knowing what I do of both your abilities and your mission record now; that is an impressive feat indeed."

"And that leads us to the reason why I called the three of you to my office today," the Sandaime continued after he'd given the three of them a moment to digest the first half of his speech. "There are currently a limited number of vacancies within the AnBu Corps that I would like to have filled. There are also a couple of positions within the T and I Department that recently opened up. And while normally, I would assign your team as a whole to one department or the other; that is not a possibility at this time due to the number of other applicants for both departments that have seniority over the three of you."

"You're going to split us up," Kojimaru blurted out as he felt his stomach tie itself up in knots.

"Yes," the Sandaime confirmed without blinking an eye at the interruption. "Two of you will be going to one department and the other one will go to the other. I will leave it up to the three of you to decide which two will stay together and which department the pair will be assigned to."

The three teammates and brothers in all but name glanced at one another briefly before Aoba declared, "Kojimaru and Tenzou can stay together; I'll also volunteer to join the T and I Department since my training has been more focused on interrogation while their skills are more geared towards capture and retrieval."

"Aoba…!?" Kojimaru half-heartedly protested.

"It's fine, otouto; I've always known that the two are far closer to each other than either of you are to me. I'm just thankful that we were able to stay together as long as we have and that the two of you accepted me as part of your adopted families. Both of you will always be my little brothers and we'll still be able to hang out together on our days off. And, I won't have to worry about the two of you getting into too much trouble because I know that the two of you will have each other's backs. Consider this an extra birthday present for the both of you."

"Thanks, niisan; that means a lot to us," Tenzou quietly stated in Kojimaru's place since the artificial redhead had been struck speechless by Aoba's short speech.

"Is that your final decision?" the Sandaime inquired after the short exchange between the trio of Chuunin.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," all three boys replied; though Kojimaru's voice was filled with far less conviction than those of the other two.

"Very well, Chuunin Yamashiro; you'll need to report to the T and I Facility at eight sharp tomorrow morning where Ibiki will fill you in on your duties. Chuunin Kojimaru and Tenzou; the two of you will need to report to the AnBu Facility at seven sharp this evening where you will join the rest of the potential recruits."

"Expect to be out of contact with your friends and families for the entire month of August," Kasai warned in an ominous tone. "You may pack as much or as little as you think you will need but once you arrive, you will not be allowed to leave the facility for any reason until the thirty-first."

"Wakatta, Kasai-sama," Tenzou replied while Kojimaru simply nodded an acknowledgement.

"Do you have any questions?" the Sandaime asked after a moment and all three teens shook their head no. "Then you are dismissed."

Kojimaru bowed reflexively before he woodenly walked out the door on the heels of his teammates; or rather, former teammate in Aoba's case. Part of Kojimaru wanted be angry with the Hokage for splitting them up once again but it didn't take a genius to know that the man made the decision he made for the good of the village as a whole; not just the good of a single shinobi or team. It helped that he'd grown up a lot over the past two years and while he could still technically be considered a child, he rarely ever acted like one anymore (barring the times when he was at home where he felt safe enough to let his guard down completely or when he played the occasional prank for fun rather than for retribution).

"All that and not a one single one of them even bothered to wish you a happy birthday," Tenzou commented out of the blue as they left the tower three minutes later.

"Shikaku will probably say something later and I seriously doubt that Ibiki, Kasai, or the Hokage even remembered that today is my birthday," Kojimaru murmured in reply. "It's not like the three of us are all that important in the grand scheme of things anyway."

"Wow, talk about killjoy," Aoba snarked as he slapped Kojimaru upside the back of the head. "Don't be such a whiney pessimist. They had to have known it was your birthday today; otherwise the Hokage wouldn't have said anything about us having a busy day planned. Now, shall we split up so we can each invite a beautiful woman to our afternoon tea ceremony or are we just going to mope around all day?"

"Hai, kaasan," Kojimaru fired back as he twisted out of reach of the older teen's longer reach.

"Gaki!"

"You'll ask Yoshino-san if she'd like to attend the ceremony?" Tenzou asked Kojimaru around a chuckle.

"Hai. Meet you both back at my house in an hour?"

"Hai," Aoba and Tenzou replied in stereo.

The three of them split up a few seconds later and Kojimaru made a beeline for the Nara Estate. Yoshino didn't even let the poor Chuunin finish asking her if she'd like to attend the tea ceremony before she was agreeing. The woman had then collected Shikamaru (Shikaku and Yoshino's two year old son) and handed him over to Kojimaru before shutting the door in the teen's face so that she could get ready. Kojimaru had shared a single glance with his godson (Shikaku had sprung that little surprise on him at the little tyke's first birthday; a year after the paperwork had been filed – lazy damn Nara) before he declared all women troublesome and hauled Shikamaru home.

At least he'd have a few hours in which to corrupt his godson in order to drive his former babysitter crazy.

In the Hokage's office, Shikaku felt a foreboding shiver race up his spine.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Doton – earth  
>Futon – wind<br>Gaki – brat  
>Hai – yes<br>Katon – fire  
>Ojisanoji – uncle  
>Okaasankaasan – mother  
>Oniisanniisan/nii – Older brother  
>Otousantousan – father  
>Otouto – little brother<br>Raiton – lightning  
>Suiton – water<br>Wakatta – I understand

**Techniques: **

Dai Kamaitachi - Great Cutting Whirlwind  
>Doro Bunshin no Jutsu – Mud Clone Technique<br>Doro Gaeshi – Mud Overturn  
>Doro Kanketsusen – Mud Geyser<br>Doryuudan no Jutsu – Earth Dragon Projectile  
>Doryuu Heki – Earth Style Wall<br>Doryuusou no Jutsu – Earthen Rising Spears  
>Daitoppa no Jutsu – Great Breakthrough (large destructive blast of wind)<br>Fuuryuudan no Jutsu – Wind Dragon Projectile Technique (non-canon Wind Dragon)  
>Hahonryuu – Destruction Torrent<br>Haran Banshou – Stormy Upheaval  
>Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone<br>Karasu Bunshin no Jutsu – Crow Clone Technique  
>Kazekiri no Jutsu – Wind Cutter Technique<br>Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique  
>Mizu no Muchi – Whip of Water<br>Mizu no Tatsumaki – Tornado of Water  
>Mizurappa – Violent Water Wave<br>Moguragakure no Jutsu – Mole Hiding Technique  
>Reppushou – Gale Wind Palm<br>Sanzengarasu no Jutsu – Scattering One Thousand Crows Technique  
>Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu – Double Suicide Decapitation Technique<br>Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique  
>Suigadan – Water Fang Projectile<br>Suihashu – Water Wave Hand  
>Takitsubo no Jutsu – Waterfall Basin Technique<p> 


	15. The Initiation

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fifteen: The Initiation<span>

_July 31, 0294 AtD, 6:49 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

"Well, I guess this is where I leave the two of you," Aoba stated as the three of them reached the top of the Hokage Mountain where the AnBu Facility sat. "I'll hold down the fort out here until they let you out for parole at the end of the month."

"Good luck with your training; Ibiki's going to be a monster without us there to loosen him up with a few pranks every now and then," Tenzou offered in reply; the cheerfulness in his voice slightly forced.

"I've got that covered; I made a deal with Kotetsu and Izumo after I won their next two paychecks off of them in our poker game earlier tonight. I told them I'd forgive them their debt if they pranked Ibiki at least once a day for the next month."

"Ibiki's gonna slaughter them," Tenzou snorted as he shook his head and chuckled over the imminent demise of the two pranksters (whose reputations as pranksters far exceeded that of the two self-claimed brothers – but that was only because they got caught in the act more often than Kojimaru and Tenzou).

"Only if he catches them and they are almost as good at getting away with their pranks as the two of you," Aoba countered before he glanced at Kojimaru. "You're being awfully quiet, Kojimaru."

Kojimaru just shrugged his shoulders; he'd not really felt much like talking since the sun had set. There was a time when his silence would have annoyed Aoba; the older boy had thought it was a personal slight against him until he got to know the shortest member of their team better. Seeing Kojimaru give everyone the silent treatment for little to no reason every now and again had quickly taught the older teen that the silence was just a quirk of the artificial redhead. The thing that threw most people for a loop was the fact that Tenzou could accurately read Kojimaru's mood and body language and in effect accurately answer questions directed at the artificial redhead or interpret his various shrugs, grunts, and gestures.

"He's nervous, so he's brooding again; Kojimaru hates change," Tenzou answered blithely as he discreetly glanced at his watch to check the time. "As much as we'd love to stick around and kill another hour or two with you, we'd better get going be we wind up late and Kasai strings us up by our balls and uses us for target practice."

"Take care you two and give the other applicants hell."

"Will do," Tenzou promised while Kojimaru simply nodded.

The two fourteen year olds (or near fourteen year old in Tenzou's case) reluctantly left Aoba standing at the top of the stairs as they made their way to the formidable building that housed the AnBu Facility. Like the Hokage's Compound below, the AnBu Building was woven over with so many protective and defensive barriers that the thrum of chakra in the air gave it a foreboding air. After two years of exposure to the barriers, Kojimaru and Tenzou mostly ignored the ominous feeling they generated as they opened the door and stepped inside. They were met just inside of the lobby by Kasai.

"Good, you're both early. From this point forward, the two of you will need to drop your disguises the moment that you step foot inside of this building or when you are in uniform and at no point are you to refer to one another by your real names while you are inside this building or wearing your masks. If you survive the next month, you will be given a code name; until then, you will be known as applicants seven-four-seven and seven-four-eight. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Kasai-sama," Tenzou replied emotionlessly while Kojimaru nodded as their disguises melted away on the heels of a silent release; the two of them trying not to let their discomfort over being given numbers as names show.

"Good; go ahead and make your way to the lecture hall where you will be issued a blank mask and a training kit."

The two teens bowed to the man before they complied with the instructions. By the time they had navigated through the maze of tunnels to reach the lecture hall, the two Chuunin had buried their discomfort over being issued identification numbers (no matter how temporary they were) and over having their natural faces currently bared. The latter wasn't that big of a deal, since they'd never worn their simple disguises when they used their Kekkei Genkai out in the open around the village. It was just odd to not have a porcelain mask covering their faces like they had previously and even then they would have those masks soon enough.

Being called a number again though, that bothered them more than they would care to admit. They had put most of their past behind them but there were some things that still affected them; such as being stripped of their identities and being assigned a number to take the place of their names. The only reason that they didn't protest was the knowledge that all applicants were assigned numbers until they earned their code name and the numbers were meant to further protect their identities in the mean time.

As soon as they reached the lecture hall, an AnBu Guard wearing a deer mask handed them scrolls with their applicant numbers on them and told them to select a blank mask from the table. Unlike the previous blank masks they'd used through the years (which were nothing more than featureless masks that covered their faces), the masks laid out on the table were shaped like animal faces. Kojimaru automatically reached out to snag the only cat mask on the table while Tenzou selected the bear mask. As soon as their selections had been made, they were instructed to put on their new masks and go change into their new uniforms.

Ten minutes later, they were seated side by side in the front row of tiered desks that filled the hall. Scattered about behind them were another eight applicants all wearing the same exact uniform as the two fourteen year olds. Each uniform consisted of a sleeveless black shirt with attached face mask, black elbow length gloves with metal plates on the back of the hand, black cargo pants, black shinobi sandals, and pale gray armor consisting of shin guards, arm guards, a chest plate, and a back plate). Aside from the shape of their masks, the color of their hair, and the obvious differences in height and weight, all of the applicants looked exactly the same.

Another twenty-six applicants would join them before Kasai and two AnBu Captains entered the room. Kojimaru felt a shiver of dread dance down his spine as Kasai swept his gaze over the thirty-six applicants that had gathered in the room. There was something predatory in the masked commander's gaze tonight and it made the fourteen year old wish that he was any where else but in that lecture hall.

"Welcome to hell, rookies," Kasai ominously stated as he clasped his hands behind his back while the two captains with him locked the doors with blood seals. "Those of you that survive the night will be tested to see if you have what it takes to join the AnBu Corps while the bodies of those who don't will be hauled out with the rest of the trash in the morning."

The two friends had only two seconds to share a horrified glanced before the room was plunged into darkness. Kojimaru instinctively latched onto Tenzou's arm and pulled the two of them down to the floor where they immediately merged with the wooden floors as the sounds of fighting broke out all around them. They disappeared just in the nick of time as a pair of masked shinobi dropped down onto the desks they'd been sitting at just seconds earlier; both AnBu operatives had lain in wait on the ceiling above them with the rest of the attacking shinobi.

There was no time for them to stop and think as their would-be ambushers attacked the floor with their swords and channeled a paralyzing raiton attack into the wood. Only the fact that wood was non-conductive by nature spared the two teens from the brunt of the attack as they traveled away from their attackers through the floor. Most of the night would be spent playing cat and mouse as their masked pursuers diligently chased them through the room. One of Tenzou's Moku Bunshin bought them just enough time around three in the morning to allow them to figure out that one of their attackers was tracking them through their chakra signature.

Armed with that knowledge, Kojimaru flooded the entire floor with his chakra while Tenzou continued to distract the pair with an assortment of clones. As soon as they were no longer being hounded every time they turned around, Kojimaru turned the tables on their attackers as the floor rose up to attack them in return. Working together, the two Mokuton users quickly wrapped up their pursuers and half buried them in the floor in order to prevent them from getting free. The two self-adopted brothers then used the breathing space they'd bought each other to tend to the injuries that they'd incurred during the course of the night – or rather, Kojimaru tended Tenzou's injuries since his were already most healed.

Their break would be rather short lived as four more masked guards began hunting them the moment the other guards realized that two of their number had been incapacitated. The two young Chuunin would gamely counter every attack sent their way while trying to catch their opponents in the floor like they had the first two. And while they were no longer being forced to flee like rabbits, they also weren't able to subdue their four attackers as easily as they had the first two.

By the time the lights came back on at exactly six in the morning, Kojimaru and Tenzou were both exhausted. The only solace they had was the fact that their attackers were not in much better shape. As the two fourteen year olds collapsed against each other and glanced about the room, they found that aside from themselves, only ten other applicants had actually made it through the night. The rest of the applicants had disappeared completely. They would later learn that those that had failed the ambush had actually just been knocked unconscious and had their memories of the night sealed; not killed as Kasai had implied they would be at the start of the attack.

"Congratulations on surviving the night," Kasai intoned as swept his gaze over the mess that Kojimaru and Tenzou had made of the floor; his eyes lingering on the two masked shinobi that were still half buried in the floor (which they were promptly ordered to repair with a silent hand signal from Kasai). Several of the rookies cheered over that proclamation and slumped in relief only for them to tense back up when Kasai continued the moment Kojimaru finished fixing their mess (Tenzou too exhausted to help).

"Don't start celebrating just yet; we've not yet finished threshing the chaff from the grain. There are only five positions available within the Corps and there are twelve of you. We know you can survive an ambush but now we will see just how well you can face your fears."

That was all the warning they were given before the world went dark once more as all twelve applicants were knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of the neck from the full fledged AnBu Guards that they'd stopped paying attention to the moment the lights had been turned on.

Kojimaru would wake up roughly half an hour later to find himself sealed inside of a snug metal box. Worse than that though was the fact that he was alone. It was a good thing that he didn't suffer from claustrophobia or he would have panicked the moment he realized just how little space there was inside of his prison. And while the box was sealed shut, it wasn't airtight; Kojimaru could sense the shifting air currents. Getting out of the box was as simple as using the Hyouton to find the cracks in its construction and growing enough ice to force the lid to curl open.

The young Chuunin then sat up and got his first look at the room he'd ended up in and descended into a brief panic the moment he recognized it as the lab room where Orochimaru had kept him for two agonizing years. He could even smell the scent of old blood and bleach lingering in the room and he nearly threw up as he was assaulted by old memories. It was only his concern for the missing Tenzou that allowed him to beat back the panic that was clawing at the back of his mind.

Once he had subdued the old fear of finding himself in Orochimaru's clutches once more, Kojimaru began to notice little things that were off about the room he was in. First was the fact that all of the surgical implements scattered about the room were rusted and coated with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs; an indication that no one had used the room in years. The second was that the room was undamaged beneath the dust; the damage that had occurred when his Hyouton and Mokuton were activated completely absent.

Conclusion; this wasn't the lab room where Orochimaru had kept him.

But the room was undoubtedly within the same building because of the similarities. Unless someone had gone through the trouble of recreating the lab just to mess with his mind; a distinct, if slight, possibility based upon what he had learned about Kasai over the past two years. It was at that moment that Kojimaru recalled Kasai saying something about the new applicants facing their fears just before he'd been knocked out.

"Sadistic bastard did this on purpose," Kojimaru muttered under his breath as the knowledge that this was part of a test helped him clear away the last of his fear. "I wonder if that means that all of the other applicants are here was well or if it is just me and potentially Te… my brother that got stuck in this scenario. Only one way to find out, I guess."

And with that, Kojimaru climbed the rest of the way out of his metal prison before he crossed the room to merge himself with the wooden door that was the only point of entrance in the room in order to slip out the other side without needing to bother picking the lock. He then began ghosting along the hallway, taking the time to poke his head through each door (literally, as he didn't even bothering opening them whether they were locked or not) in order to search the room beyond for any sign of the other applicants but most especially for the missing Tenzou.

After the first ten empty rooms, Kojimaru created several Moku Bunshin out of a scattering of twigs he picked up off of the ground to help him search while he moved deeper into the underground lab; his curiosity grabbing hold of him as he'd never seen any parts of the lab outside of the room he'd been imprisoned in. A smirk slowly made its way onto the teen's face behind his porcelain mask; the abandoned lab was the perfect setting for the ultimate ghost story. The smile turned quickly morphed into a grimace as it occurred to him that the lab's true history was far more tragic than the spine tingling stories that he and Tenzou had read or made up through the years.

After all, Orochimaru had tortured and murdered dozens of innocent children in the many rooms that littered the old laboratory; all for the sake of his wretched Kekkei Genkai experiments.

Kojimaru stopped walking and bowed his head as he clenched his fists while he wondered if he and Tenzou were really the lucky ones or if those children that had not survived were actually the lucky ones. After all, the dead feel no pain. The Chuunin frowned and shook his head as he realized that despite how much he had suffered and how much of that suffering he still remembered, he did not regret his life. Sure, his life had been far from perfect but at the same time it had been the perfect life in his mind.

How could it not be when his life had given him a new family to replace the one he'd lost as a child?

True peace and contentment filled Kojimaru for the first time as the fear and anger he'd held buried deep inside of him (with the help of Torifu's seal) for over ten years withered to nearly nothing. He still hated Orochimaru but the deep seated resentment he'd held for the traitorous third of the Sannin was gone; as was his burning thirst to get revenge. He would never even consider thanking the man for what he'd done but he had at least come to terms with what had been done to him. In some ways, the Snake Summoner had gifted him with two tools that were invaluable; his Kekkei Genkai.

Feeling far better, Kojimaru began whistling a lively tune as he continued to explore the underground laboratory. He had just reached a slightly decrepit training room when the floor beneath him exploded in a shower of clay tiles and dirt as a masked Tenzou burst out of the ground.

"Your clones are annoying as hell," Tenzou complained as he gave Kojimaru the stink eye through his mask. "I've been chasing them all over the damn place trying to track down the original you."

"I sent them hunting for you not long after I realized where I'd been dumped," Kojimaru explained with a shrug. "I was actually hoping to find a kitchen so that I could make some tea and fix something to eat."

"How can you stand being here?"

"Because this place is just a relic of the past and there is nothing here to fear. We have a life outside of what Orochimaru did to us and I would not change a damn thing that was done to us if it meant losing you, ojisan, sensei, our niisan, and the other friends that we've made through the years. What about you? Does being here bother you?"

"Yes… but I am not afraid. I was angry that they split us up and locked us up here. I was also worried that you would be far more bothered by being here than you are because I know that you remember far more of what was done to us than I do."

"I was, at first, but I did a lot of thinking as I explored the lab and looked for you. Come on, let's clean up the mess you made and clean this room up a bit so I can make us something to eat; I'm starving."

The pair of them would be found eating freshly made curry and drinking tea in the abandoned training room an hour later by Kasai and both of the AnBu Captains that had turned up with him the evening before. Despite the masks covering their faces, it was very obvious to both teens that all three individuals were rather surprised to find the pair acting as if they were merely on a camping trip instead of being dropped into the middle of what should have been (by all reports) their worst nightmares.

"Would the three of you care to join us?" Tenzou inquired as he gestured to the half full pot of curry. "There is more than enough for all of you."

Kojimaru laughed silently and smirked beneath his mask when Kasai slapped a hand over his masked face in response to Tenzou's offer. He was actually a little surprised when the captain wearing a goat mask casually dropped down beside them almost immediately. Kojimaru nodded to the captain and silently dished up a plate of curry for the man before he poured out another cup of tea. The other captain (who wore the mask of an ox) actually let out a snort of amusement before he too joined the group on the ground.

Kasai let out a soft growl and stomped off in irritation instead.

* * *

><p><em>August 29, 0294 AtD, 4:53 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Kojimaru suppressed the urge to fidget as he stood in line with the other six applicants that had survived the month of hell that Kasai, Yagi (the goat masked captain), and Ushi (the ox masked captain) had put them through. The rest of the applicants had either been kicked out for one reason or another or they'd dropped out themselves when the endless testing that they were being subjected to became too much for them. Kojimaru and Tenzou had both weathered the harsh tests fairly easily; thanks to the previous two years of grueling training under Kasai and Ibiki's tutelage.

The reason for Kojimaru's current anxiety had nothing to do with their tests though; the last of the tests had officially ended just twenty-three minutes earlier. No, the reason why the fourteen year old was nervous had to do with the fact that two of the applicants would be sent packing any minute now; there were only five available spaces within the ranks of the AnBu Corps, after all. Kojimaru still worried that he and Tenzou would be split up; either because one of them was dropped from the program or because they were placed on two separate teams.

"The seven of you have shown remarkable perseverance over the last thirty days," Kasai stated as he glanced at the seven applicants. "It usually takes me two periods of open enrollment to fill the holes created within the AnBu Corps each year through death and retirement. Unfortunately, there are still two too many of you left. After reviewing everyone's performance from this past month, I will be dropping applicants seven-five-two and seven-six-one from the program. If, at any time in the next six months, an opening becomes available; the two of you will have an opportunity to join the ranks. After those six months have passed, you will need to reapply the next time we have positions that need to be filled."

Once those two applicants had been escorted from the room by the deer masked AnBu member that had greeted all of the applicants upon their arrival that first night (to get their memories of the past month sealed), Kasai addressed the five remaining applicants once more, "Congratulations; the five of you are officially the Corps' newest rookies. You will be spending the next six months learning the ins and outs of your new position before you are officially assigned to a team. I will be leaving you in the capable hands of Captains Yagi and Ushi now; they will be over seeing all aspects of your training."

"This way, rookies," Yagi instructed as he headed for the exit. "We will be setting each of you up with a private room in the AnBu Barracks where you will store your uniform when you are not on duty. Your rooms will also be your entrance and exit point from this moment forward to help prevent anyone from discovering your identity under the mask as you come and go from the building."

The five new rookies were then led several floors down to a part of the facility that Kojimaru and Tenzou had never been allowed into on prior visits (neither one of them aware that Torifu had housed them within the barracks after he'd separated them the night he'd faked their deaths). Once they reached the last level, the rookies were split up into two groups; with Yagi leading Kojimaru and Tenzou off to the right while Ushi took the other three to the left. Eventually, the two of them were led to a pair of doors that were directly across from one another at the very end of the hallway.

"Here we are," Yagi needlessly stated as he gestured to the doors. "Seven-four-seven, your room is on the left which leaves seven-four-eight's room on the right. Both rooms have privacy barriers on them to insure that no one aside from you, me, Kasai, and your future teichou (once you've been assigned to a team) will be able to open the doors once the seals have been fully activated. All you need to do to activate the wards, is spread a bit of your blood onto the master seals located on the back of the door and channel your chakra into the seal."

"Normally, this is the point where I warn the new rookies under my care to never key another person outside of their future captain into the barriers on their rooms but Kasai-sama warned me that the two of you are rather stubborn and that you both are already fully aware of your hidden identities. He then suggested that I explain how to key another person into the seals in order to prevent the two of you from experimenting on your own."

"There are two methods that you can use; the first one requires you to activate the seals first before you smear an ounce of the other's blood onto the master seal and channel more of your chakra into the array in order to incorporate their blood into the seal. That is the method that you will use to add your future teichou into the security barrier. The second method, and the method that I suggest the two of you use, is for you two activate the barriers one at a time together. To do so, you will both need to smear your blood on the seals and channel your chakra into the seals at the same time."

"Using the second method will allow both of you to control the barriers on both rooms and make it harder for someone else to come along and remove your access to each other's room; something that would have nasty repercussions if you were not aware that you were no longer keyed into the barriers and you attempted to enter the room. The barriers are not kind to those that attempt to break into them because we take the safety and security of our members seriously."

"Do either of you have any questions?" Yagi asked once he'd finished his explanation.

"Will we be adding you and the commander into the wards using the first method?" Tenzou inquired after briefly glancing in Kojimaru's direction.

"No, Kasai-sama already keyed us into the seals using a different method that is only taught to the AnBu Commander (who has access to every single room in the facility). Please don't ask me what that method is because I do not know. Did you have any other questions? No…? Then I shall leave you to get settled in for the night. Supper will be served in the mess hall at six. You will need to report back to the lecture hall at six sharp tomorrow morning for your orientation."

The masked Yagi then disappeared in a swirl of smoke and Kojimaru sighed before he glanced over at Tenzou and asked, "Your room first?"

Tenzou nodded after a moment and opened the door on the right side of the hall so that the two of them could enter the room together. They immediately took the time to inspect the room before dealing with the barrier activation.

The room was small, seven feet deep, five feet wide, and the ceiling seven feet above the floor. The door opened on the left side of the room and immediately to the right of the door stood a five foot tall, one foot deep, and two foot wide locker inside which were a couple of shelves (one near the top and one near the bottom) and a clothes rod (complete with two dozen built in hangers). On the bottom shelf there was a folded futon, two blankets, one sheet, two pillow cases, and a thin pillow all in light gray. Right beside the locker was a small desk with a single drawer that held various writing supplies and blank mission report forms and a metal chair that looked rather uncomfortable.

On the wall opposite the doorway, was a toilet and a small one-person shower. Recessed into the wall beside the shower (on the same wall the shower and desk sat against) was a built-in medicine cabinet that held a medical kit, an assortment of over the counter remedies, unscented toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner, mouth wash, toothpaste, body lotion, deodorant, styling gel, and shaving cream), a hair brush, a toothbrush, and a razor. Directly below the cabinet was a towel rack holding two large towels, two small hand towels, and two face clothes all in light gray. The only decorations in the room was the absorbent light gray rug sitting in front of the shower, a framed poster of the Hokage Monument above the desk, the small desk lamp sitting on top of the desk, and a two foot wide full length mirror beside the locker.

"Cozy," Kojimaru drawled sarcastically once he finished assessing the room.

"Quite," Tenzou agreed as he gave the metal chair a light kick that told Kojimaru that his brother was already planning to replace the offending piece of furniture with a proper wooden one (self grown, naturally). "Shall we activate the seal so we can see if your room is as luxurious as mine?"

"Might as well," Kojimaru agreed with a grimace of distaste that was entirely due to the need for them to use their blood in the activation process.

Ten minutes later, they were sitting on the floor in the middle of Kojimaru's room (which was the mirror image of Tenzou's room – except he had a framed poster of Konoha's main gates) as Kojimaru heated a kettle of water over a small fire that had been made inside of a portable grill. The companionable silence that had settled over the two of them would be broken just a minute later by the shrill whistle of steam escaping the kettle. Kojimaru deftly removed the kettle from the heat and quickly set about preparing a pot of tea; his movements filled with the graceful economy born from ten years of practice in the art of brewing tea.

The last of the tension that filled the shorter of the two fourteen year olds evaporated the moment the first sip of tea passed through his lips. The soothing taste of peppermint filled Kojimaru's mouth as he savored that first sip for several minutes before allowing the liquid to slide down his throat. He closed his eyes a moment later as he took a second, larger sip and savored it just as long as he had the first drink. The silence would stretch out for another twenty minutes before Tenzou finally broke the silence.

"How much longer do you think they will keep us here?"

"At least one more night, possibly two," Kojimaru replied after a brief moment.

"You don't think they will keep us here for the entire duration of our training?"

"No, it would be far too noticeable if we both disappeared for six months. A single month in here isn't that big of a deal since we've both taken missions that were roughly four weeks long in the past because of the travel times involved."

"I hadn't considered that. What kind of training do you think they will give us aside from teaching us the new rules and regulations well need to follow?"

"Probably the same thing we were doing as Team Kage," Kojimaru guessed as he shrugged his shoulders.

Tenzou hummed in agreement before the two of them finished their tea in silence. As soon as the last drop of tea had been drunk, the two teens replaced their masks and exited the room to join the rest of those AnBu operatives still in the building for the evening meal in the mess hall.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Hai – yes  
>Ushi – cowox  
>Yagi – goat<p> 


	16. The Perks

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Sixteen: The Perks<span>

_August 30, 0294 AtD, 5:48 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru silently paced alongside of Tenzou as the two of them made their way to the lecture hall once more. In no time at all, the two of them were once again standing outside of the lecture hall where they once again found themselves facing the deer masked guard that had given them their uniforms and masks that first day. This time, the man handed them each a Regulation Handbook, the most recent edition of Konoha's Bingo Book, and the updated Bounty Book (the civilian version of the Bingo Book that was published by the Fire Daimyou's shogun). They were then told to select a bottle of mask paint from the table beside the man; both of them automatically grabbing a bottle of orange paint – the only color that had more than one bottle present.

The two of them were then waved into the room where they took the same two seats that they had used that first day. As soon as his butt slid onto the chair, Kojimaru opened up the Bingo Book he'd been handed and began thumbing through its pages. During the past two years, Team Kage had frequently used the Bingo Books stored with the AnBu Division's Library to research their mission targets but because they were only Chuunin at the time and not officially part of the AnBu Corps, they had never before been allowed to own an actual copy of the book. The reason for that was to keep the extensive collection of data recorded in the books out of the hands of their enemies – meaning that only the highest ranked shinobi were granted copies.

Bingo Books were one of the most frequently stolen shinobi tools because of the information they held; each village even had trained spies whose sole job was strictly to acquire each village's most recently published Bingo Book or to steal back copies of their village's Bingo Book.

The book itself was close to three inches thick, quite heavy, and packed with a wealth of information on hundreds of shinobi from all over the world. The first quarter of the book contained the dossiers on those Konoha shinobi that had gone missing within the last two decades; most of them presumed dead. The second quarter of the book contained the dossiers for those shinobi that had turned traitor to the village. The third quarter was reserved for the dossiers on the enemies of Konoha. And the very last quarter of the book was then dedicated to a list of known missing nin from other villages.

Kojimaru inevitably froze when he reached Orochimaru's page in the book; his eyes locked on the traitor's photo. Old memories played through his mind as he stared at the smug smirk that the cruel man wore; just like they had when he'd woken up back in the lab at the start of the month. Several long minutes passed by in the blink of an eye and Kojimaru never noticed because of how wrapped up he was in the past. He was jolted from his memories when Tenzou reached over and deliberately shut the book for him. Jumping slightly at the unexpected interference, Kojimaru snapped his gaze to the side.

"Yagi-teichou is here," Tenzou stated simply as he tilted his head towards the front of the room.

"So nice of you to join us, rookie," Yagi sarcastically greeted the moment Kojimaru turned to glance in his direction and the fourteen year old flushed bright red beneath his mask. "Now that I have your undivided attention, we'll get started. First, Kasai-sama has given me your new code names; seven-four-seven, you will from this point forward be known as Tora while you are in uniform. Seven-four-eight, you have been given the name Kuma. Next, allow me introduce you to Sumi; he will be applying your AnBu tattoos and painting your masks for you. Once he has finished with the two of you, I will give you a full tour of the facility before you sit for your first lesson with the other rookies."

Yagi retreated off to one side of the room to keep an eye on things while the ink stained man wearing the solid black mask that had been introduced as Sumi stepped forward and rasped, "Which one of you will be going first?" Kojimaru exchanged a brief glance with Tenzou before he lifted his right hand to volunteer. "Well, don't just sit there, boy; get down here so I can start. And bring the paint you were given."

Kojimaru grabbed his bottle of paint as he rose to his feet. As he approached Sumi, the man pulled out a storage scroll and unsealed a black apron, several vials of dark ink, a pair of tattoo guns, a tattoo stencil, an ink stained stool, and a chair with a wooden platform and several straps on the left arm. Sumi then promptly donned the apron before he held his hand out as he instructed, "Give me your paint then take a seat and place your left arm on the wooden platform."

As soon as Kojimaru was seated, Sumi strapped the teen's left arm to the wooden platform in question. Next the ink stained shinobi washed and waxed the area of his arm where the tattoo would be placed to remove any dirt, oils, and hair that could possibly interfere with the tattooing process. After that, the man wiped down Kojimaru's arm with a bit of rubbing alcohol before he arranged a stencil of the AnBu tattoo dead center on the outside of his left arm just below his shoulder and secured it in place with tape before he used a purple marker to draw an outline of the twin swirls of the AnBu tattoo onto his arm.

Next the man carefully drew a series of specialized seals that were to be applied and would eventually be covered up by the tattoo. The first seal would ensure his loyalty to Konoha and the Hokage. The second seal would incinerate his body upon his death (to prevent enemies from delving any secrets from his flesh). The third seal would prevent truth serums from affecting him (in order to protect any sensitive information he might know). The fourth seal was to prevent mind control jutsu from affecting him (to prevent information from being pulled from him that way). And the final seal would be used to identify him as a legitimate AnBu Corps member to other members of the Corps.

"Try not to scream or jump once I start," Sumi ordered in a creepy tone once he had finished drawing out both the seals and the basic outline of the tattoo. "You'll just make me mess up and I'll have to start all over again. I'm told the pain of pulling out the chakra enhanced ink is ten times worse then the pain of injecting the ink into the skin in the first place."

The man then picked up one of the tattoo guns, placed a new needle into the tip, and slipped a bottle of red ink into place. Settling onto his stool, Sumi firmly grabbed hold of Kojimaru's arm, activated the gun with a small pulse of chakra, and deftly began applying the seals to Kojimaru's flesh. Unconsciously, as the man injected the chakra laced ink into the burgeoning seals, the teen poured his magically corrupted chakra into the seals; preventing his body from expelling the foreign substance and increasing the overall effectiveness of the seals as they were tied more firmly to his body and mind by the lingering traces of magic that lived on in his chakra.

Despite the man's claims, Kojimaru felt no pain as the needle repeatedly bit into his flesh; though he did notice a slight burning sensation as the man's chakra pushed the ink deep into the tissue beneath his skin. Of course, Kojimaru's tolerance for pain had remained very high due to all of the training he'd been put through over the past ten years on top of what he'd had to endure during his two years in Orochimaru's clutches. His rapid internal healing ability also worked to reduce the amount of pain he felt when injured since the affected nerves and pain receptors were healed almost before the pain could be registered by his brain.

Once all five seals were in place, Sumi deactivated the tattoo gun and set it aside so that he could clean the excess ink and blood from Kojimaru's arm and inspect his work for any flaws. The man then picked up the unused gun, fitted it with a fresh needle, and attached a bottle of black ink to the gun. Once the gun was ready, he began tracing over the outlines he'd drawn onto Kojimaru's flesh before he filled in the center to hide the seals that had been applied. That took even less time than it had to ink in the seals and the moment he was finished, Sumi set down the gun and wiped Kojimaru's arm clean a third time.

The man then used a medical jutsu to heal the tattoo so that there was no chance of infection setting in or that his body would reject the ink; the man completely unaware that Kojimaru's chakra had already taken care of that. The last thing that Sumi did was to pour the small bottle of dark orange paint out onto his right hand before he placed his paint smeared hand over Kojimaru's unmarked mask and use his left hand to form a half tiger seal as he activated an unfamiliar jutsu. The fourteen year old could feel the man's chakra rushing over the entire mask for a brief moment before the man dropped his now clean hand away.

"That's you done, Tora," Sumi declared as he deftly unbuckled the straps that were holding Kojimaru's arm in place.

Tenzou traded places with Kojimaru at that point and the emerald eyed teen retreated back to his seat and thumbed through the Bounty Book to pass the time while Tenzou was getting his tattoo done. Every couple of minutes, he'd glance up to check on Sumi's progress because he didn't wish to be caught flatfooted like he had when he'd stumbled across Orochimaru's dossier. Occasionally, he would also spare a glance for Yagi-teichou just to make certain that he didn't accidentally ignore the man again; he didn't want to get on his training captain's bad side since that would potentially be hazardous to his health.

Half an hour later, Kojimaru closed his book and watched as Sumi painted Tenzou's mask using the same jutsu that he'd used on Kojimaru's cat mask. It was more than a little fascinating to watch the paint take on a life of its own as Sumi's chakra spread the orange liquid out over the mask before it was sucked down into the porcelain as it formed a unique set of accents on Tenzou's mask.

When the jutsu ended, the orange paint had settled inside of the rounded ears of the bear mask, outlined both the eyes and mouth, and formed a thick stripe that ran from the top of the mask down to the tip of the nose. Sumi's chakra had also etched several burnt orange lines (that almost looked black) onto the mask; giving definition to the mouth and nose to better define them. Seeing Tenzou's newly designed mask made Kojimaru curious as to what his mask now looked like and he nearly reached up to remove said mask before he recalled his orders to wear the mask at all times while inside of the building.

Further contemplation of his mask's design was shelved as Yagi ordered both fourteen year old Chuunin to follow him. What followed was a two hour tour of the entire facility; including a number of areas that they had not been allowed to enter on previous occasions. Those areas included the record hall, the dispatch office, the supply room, the armory, the kitchen, and the recreational lounge. They also revisited the training rooms, the mess hall, the library, and the infirmary.

While in both the supply room and the armory, Yagi-teichou took the time to outfit both boys with a standard AnBu weapons and supply kit. The kit included a tanto, a brace of kunai, a pack of shuriken, a medical kit, a roll of ninja wire, five smoke bombs, and a seal pack (containing premade explosive tags and chakra suppression tags). The only difference between their new weapons and the standard weapons they could purchase at any shinobi supply outlet was the fact that they were completely devoid of any identifying marks (in order to make them harder to trace back to Konoha).

At the end of those two hours, they were led back to the Lecture hall where they joined the other three rookies (who had also just had their masks painted and tattoos applied). Their first lessened turned out to be a three hour long overview of the rules and regulations that they would be required to follow as members of the Corps. It also included a detailed list of the potential punishments that they could be given for breaking the rules or disregarding the regulations. They were then given a half an hour break to get lunch before they returned to the lecture hall for their next lesson; their future duties as a member of the AnBu Corps.

By the time they were released for the evening meal, Kojimaru felt like his brain would melt if he had to memorize even one more fact. He would prefer to be sent through the Gauntlet while wearing a chakra suppression tag and a blindfold than sit through another lecture. Unfortunately, they would be spending most of September in the lecture hall covering several different topics. Any physical training they wished to get in during that time would have to be done on their own time.

At least they had been given the thirty-first off; they'd even received permission to leave the Facility for the first time since they had shown up on Kojimaru's birthday. The two fourteen year olds had made plans to sleep in their own beds that night and spend their day off celebrating Tenzou's fourteenth birthday; the two boys unable to do so back on the tenth due to being in the middle of the AnBu Initiation Test. They also intended to spend part of the day catching up with Aoba and their guardians.

As he changed back into his civilian attire, Kojimaru finally took the time to examine his mask. Like Tenzou's mask, the eyes and mouth of his cat mask had been outlined with the orange paint and defined with burnt orange lines made from Sumi's chakra. That was the end of the similarities though as the rest of the design on Kojimaru's mask had been made to mimic a tiger's stripes that framed the eyes, nose, and mouth. The mask basically looked like the stylized face of a white tiger with orange stripes in place of the black.

Kojimaru liked it.

* * *

><p><em>October 01, 0294 AtD, 9:48 AM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the five new AnBu recruits file into the office behind Kasai; his eyes quickly skimming along their painted animal masks in order to commit them to memory. Once he'd done that, he let his eyes search out the two youngest (and therefore the two shortest) recruits. That the two fourteen year olds had passed the rigorous tests that were designed to weed out those that were ill-prepared to cope with the harsh life of an AnBu Guard was unsurprising. The late Akimichi Torifu had ultimately planned for them to join the AnBu Corps and both boys had been extensively trained with that goal in mind.

Mokume Kunugi, Torifu's chosen successor, had been responsible for pushing the two boys (and their teammate) for the past two years but Torifu was the one that had seen to it that both boys had a solid foundation to build upon almost from the moment he'd taken responsibility for the two survivors. Even the selection of their guardians had been done with the utmost care; both men were loyal Konoha shinobi with impressive skill-sets and strong morals. They had also been men that were fairly easy to overlook because they hadn't really made a name for themselves outside of Konoha.

Most of the credit to the boys' growth as shinobi and as human beings could be directly attributed to their chosen guardians. The rest of it could be attributed to Shirakumo Hayama; their Jounin sensei. Torifu may have pulled a few strings and offered suggestions every now and then but it was Hayama that had molded Kojimaru, Tenzou, and their teammate Aoba into a forgettable team that was anything but forgettable if you were aware of their abilities.

Hiruzen hadn't even suspected those particular two boys of being the two survivors of Orochimaru's depraved experimentations. He'd actually mostly forgotten about the two boys right up until they'd taken part in the defense against Iwa and Kumo's joint siege near the end of the Third Great War. Both of them had then disappeared back into obscurity until shortly after the Kyuubi's attack; when they had resurfaced to help in the restoration of the village.

Hiruzen had then received a sealed scroll from Kunugi that the newly promoted AnBu Commander had discovered amongst Torifu's personal effects within his AnBu office that explained all of Torifu's many plans for the two boys (each plan created to deal with a different scenario). The knowledge that scroll had held had answered many questions that Hiruzen had had regarding some of Torifu's stranger behavior. Such as the time when the man had adamantly insisted that Kojimaru was not an Uzumaki despite Kushina's persistent belief and insistence otherwise.

The Sandaime Hokage pulled himself out of his memories a heartbeat later as all five of the rookies lined themselves up in front of his desk while Yagi and Ushi fell into place on either end of the line to keep their rookies in line. Kasai moved up to take his place beside Hiruzen's desk facing the five new recruits a moment later.

"Hokage-sama, may I present the newest AnBu Corps recruits; Buta, Kori, Kaba, Tora, and Kuma," Kasai intoned the moment he was in place.

"Congratulations gentlemen," Hiruzen offered as he rose to his feet in order to approach the five rookies. Hiruzen then walked down the line of recruits in order to activate the hidden seals in their AnBu tattoos with a thread of chakra as he briefly pressed a finger to each tattoo. Once he had finished that, he addressed the recruits once more. "In honor of your promotion into the AnBu Corps, I would like to offer each of you the chance to select a Summoning Contract from the Hokage's Vault. Please take a moment to think about whether or not you will accept the offer."

Hiruzen sat back down at his desk and discreetly watched the five recruits out of the corner of his eye as he picked up his pipe, filled the bowl with tobacco leaves, and lit the leaves on fire with a small katon jutsu when he realized he misplaced his book of matches yet again. He couldn't help but focus most of his attention on the two youngest recruits as the two of them held a silent conversation with one another with the barest of gestures. A single shake of the head from Tora had Kuma tipping his head to one side and twitching the fingers of his right hand. Tora then tensed his shoulders and shifted his weight to the left.

Another twitch of Kuma's right hand had Tora ducking his head a hairsbreadth as the fingers of his left hand started to curl before he stopped them. Kuma's posture deflating just the smallest bit, in what Hiruzen imagined could only be disappointment, actually had Tora slumping slightly in defeat before he turned away from the other teen and gave the briefest of nods. The immediate straightening of Kuma's posture led Hiruzen to believe that the taller boy had actually just won the small disagreement that the two of them had had.

It amazed the Sandaime that two such young boys could have established such a close bond with one another. It had taken Hiruzen close to two decades to achieve a level of report with his late wife to carry on an entire argument with just a look and a few gestures in a matter of seconds. If he had not been watching the pair, he probably would have never noticed the interaction. It made him wonder how many times the two of them had carried on just such a conversation under the noses of the adults in their life. It also reminded him of the day he'd first spoke to both boys and Tenzou had answered a question that Hiruzen had asked Kojimaru.

Shaking away his musings, Hiruzen drew on his pipe and released the smoke he had inhaled out through his nose before he asked, "Have you reached a decision yet?"

Buta and Kaba both declined the offer but Kori and Kuma both immediately accepted with Tora reluctantly accepting a heartbeat after the other two. Hiruzen found it curious that such a young boy would not be far more enthusiastic about being allowed to sign a summoning contract; most boys (and more than a few grown men) coveted summoning contracts because of the power they represented – seeing a contract as proof that they were strong. There was far more to a contract than mere power though; if you failed to respect the summonses of your contract and earn their respect in return, then the contract would become useless as the summonses would refuse to answer your summons.

"Very well then, if the three of you will follow me to the vault, I will allow you to select a contract," Hiruzen instructed as he rose to his feet once more after pushing the matter of Tora's strange reluctance from his mind. "The rest of you are free to go."

The two recruits that had opted not to take a contract bowed to Hiruzen in response to the dismissal before they left the room. Ushi was the next one to leave after a short conversation with Yagi regarding the remaining recruits. It didn't really surprise Hiruzen when Yagi remained behind to watch over the three rookies that had stayed; the AnBu trainers rarely let their charges out of their sight when the new recruits were in uniform (least the rookies find trouble they were not prepared to handle).

As Hiruzen led the way out of his office, Kasai fell into step beside him while Yagi herded the three rookies along behind them. It didn't take the small group very long to reach the Vault and Hiruzen nicked his thumb and smeared a generous drop of blood across the security seals to release the barriers that protected the scrolls that were locked within. He then walked into the room and deftly guided the group to the corner where the summoning contracts were stored (most of them covered with a thick layer of dust) before he addressed the three rookies once more.

"The contracts are organized by the dominate chakra nature of the contract's species; I would suggest looking only at those contracts whose nature you share in order to increase the chances of forming a successful bond with your chosen contract."

Kuma made a beeline towards the doton natured summonses while Kori headed for the katon natured species. Tora on the other hand just shifted nervously on his feet and eyed the shelves of large scrolls with wariness. A soft exclamation of triumph saw Kuma pulling out a particularly dusty scroll from the very bottom of the shelves and Hiruzen felt his eyebrows climb up his forehead as he noted which contract the teen had chosen.

The Beaver Contract had actually been taken from an Ame kunoichi as a spoil of war during the Second Great Shinobi War and in all the years that Konoha had held the contract, not a single shinobi had signed the contract. It was also the perfect contract for Kuma; beavers were one of nature's more prominent architects and from what he had read in the taller boy's file, his use of the Mokuton was more in line along construction rather than natural formations.

Kori soon selected a contract as well; the older rookie taking the Lizard Contract. Hiruzen made a note to have Kasai keep an eye on that recruit as some of the reptile contracts demanded live sacrifices in payment for their services; the snakes a prime example. The Sandaime then turned to the final rookie as Kuma stepped away from the shelves and pushed the shorter boy towards them with an exasperated huff.

Tora cast what Hiruzen imagined would be a dirty look back at his cohort before he reluctantly headed towards the Fuuton oriented contracts. He noted the way the boy fingered each of the various bird contracts before he shook his head and stepped back away from the shelves. Hiruzen wondered briefly if the teen would change his mind and refuse to take a contract when the teen unexpectedly flared his chakra. The short teen then strangely dropped down onto the floor and half crawled into a gap between a pair of scrolls.

He wriggled around a bit before he extracted himself along with a dusty old scroll that had been knocked behind the others at some point. Hiruzen couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle when Tora gave a small whine of dismay the moment he identified which contract he'd rescued from obscurity. A second small pulse of chakra from the teen had him hanging his head in defeat as he climbed to his feet and reluctantly retrieved the contract from the floor. Tora glared at the scroll through his mask for a moment before he reluctantly tucked it under his arm and slunk back to Kuma's side.

"Why are you taking a contract that you obviously have no wish to hold?" Hiruzen inquired curiously when he couldn't find a logical reason for the child to have taken a contract he obviously didn't want.

"To avoid upsetting the balance between my… Kekkei Genkai, Hokage-sama," Tora replied after a brief glance in Kori's direction. "Water is the only common element between them and so therefore I needed a contract with close ties to water from a species that can also survive on land in most any climate."

"And the Otter Contract was the only one that qualified?"

"It was the only one that responded to my chakra," Tora answered as he dropped his eyes back down to the scroll.

"You do realize that you will be unable to summon a creature that you hold in contempt, ne?" Kasai pointedly asked as he made as if to take the scroll from the teen.

"I do not hold otters in contempt; I just see them as being more of a girly summon because of their cuteness factor. I was hoping for something more along the lines of the Tiger Contract or maybe the Eagle Contract; something that would inspire fear from my opponents – not make them die of laughter."

Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle in response to the rather childish declaration coming from the teen; it was refreshing to know that the child still retained a measure of naivety after living through a war. It was clear that the other four individuals in the room were also amused by Tora's claim; the two rookies outright laughing while both Yagi and Kasai merely shook their heads. Once Hiruzen regained control of his amusement he pointed out, "All joking aside, if you do not truly wish to sign that contract, no one is going to force you to take it. You don't have to take a contract at all, if you do not wish to."

"I know, Hokage-sama; all the same, I will take this one."

Hiruzen nodded in acceptance before he stated, "Then the three of you are dismissed."

All three rookies bowed to Hiruzen before they slipped out of the vault in single file with Yagi following along to escort them back to their training. Hiruzen waited until their chakra signatures disappeared from his senses before he turned to Kasai and asked, "What did you make of Tora's behavior?"

"The gaki only took a contract because Kuma wanted a contract. Had Tora absolutely refused to take a contract, Kuma would have refused one as well. When it comes to their training, they have stubbornly refused to learn something that the other has not been offered; unless it was related to their Kekkei Genkai. Kuma even learned the same fuuton jutsu that Tora learned over the past two years despite the fact that he doesn't have an affinity towards fuuton. I think the only other person that could have talked Tora into taking a contract if he didn't really want one would be his guardian."

"That in itself is rather odd; why didn't he jump at the chance to take a contract? Most teenagers and more than a few adults I know would have been over the moon to be given such an opportunity."

"I have come to the conclusion that Tora dislikes the idea of blood sacrifice – his use of fuuinjutsu is limited to those seals that do not require blood unless he doesn't have much choice. He isn't afraid to spill blood and he shows no signs of suffering from hemophobia but he has to be prompted to use blood seals. It is also rather difficult to get him to sit still long enough for the medics to draw blood from him during routine medical exams."

"Do you think his aversion to offering up a blood sacrifice will hinder his ability to utilize the contract he took?"

"No but I suspect that it will prevent him from regularly summoning his contract partners except when he has no choice or if there is an obvious need to. I'm not familiar enough with the otters to say whether or not they will resent him if he consistently ignores them after signing the contract though."

"Yes, some summonses do not tolerate being ignored while others will grow irritable if you summon them for trivial tasks. I trust you will keep an eye on the gaki during the next five months?"

"Hai, I'll monitor Kori's summoning contract as well since lizards are closely related to snakes; though I don't believe the lizards will demand human sacrifices. It really depends on the species though."

Hiruzen nodded as the two of them exited the vault so that he could restore the security barriers that preserved and protected the wealth of contracts, jutsu, and information that was contained in the vault. As he parted ways with the masked Kunugi, he called back over his shoulder, "I will see you at next week's meeting if nothing else crops up in the mean time."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Buta – pig  
>Doton - earth<br>Fuuton - wind  
>Hai – yes<br>Kaba – hippopotamus  
>Katon - fire<br>Kori – fox or badger (can also mean sly fellow)  
>Kuma – bear<br>Shogun – means (military) general. Also once used to describe various leaders/warlords in Japanese history. In this case, I'm using the word to mean military general and referring to the Daimyou's equivalent to the captain of the guard. The only reason why I didn't use teichou was because I wanted there to be a distinct difference between the shinobi and the samurai that the Daimyou employs for his guards.  
>Sumi – ink (AnBu code name for the AnBu tattoo artist)<br>Suiton - water  
>Tora – tiger<p>

**Notes: **

Hemophobia – the fear of blood (it is also the condition that Tsunade suffers from in the original manga/anime)


	17. The Contracts

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seventeen: The Contracts<span>

_October 01, 0294 AtD, 11:43 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru stared down at the contract sitting so innocently on the desk in front of him as he tried to quell the roiling of his stomach. After they had selected their contracts, Yagi had led them back to the lecture hall where he'd tossed them each a cleaning rag and ordered them to clean every single inch of their scrolls. He'd then spent an hour lecturing them on proper summoning etiquette before he'd taught all three of them the sequence of hand seals necessary to summon a contracted creature.

Immediately after that, they'd been ordered to sign the contracts, in blood, and place their bloody fingerprints below their name. Beside him, Tenzou had already completed the request; his brother's blood shimmering wetly as it slowly dried on the parchment upon which it had been spilled. Letting out a soft sigh as he bit back his distaste for using his own blood for anything, Kojimaru pulled out a kunai and deeply punctured the pad his right index finger and encouraged the blood to well up before he deftly started writing out his name.

He would need to reopen the wound twice more in order to complete the process thanks to his accelerated rate of healing and he was feeling more than a little annoyed by the time he managed to place his fingerprints below his name. The only thing that kept him from showing exactly how irritated he the process had made him was the fact that Tenzou was nearly vibrating in excitement beside him. His brother had often dreamed of one day signing a summoning contract from the very first moment that they'd been taught about them back in the academy.

As lowly orphans without a clan or prospective apprenticeship, their chances of gaining a contract had been non-existent until just that morning when they learned that full-fledged AnBu Recruits were offered a chance to select a contract from the Hokage's archive. The reason for that offer, according to Yagi, was to provide those in the AnBu alternative ways of passing on messages, tracking their targets, and infiltrating places where an animal would be overlooked. Not everyone chose to take a contract (some people just didn't have the reserves necessary or had some other reason for refusing) but enough of them did that the number of summoning contracts in circulation within the AnBu was rather high.

Should a person survive their minimum five year stay in the AnBu Corps, the contract they had signed was theirs to keep with the stipulation that the contract be returned to the achieve upon their death so that another could take it up in the future. The only exception was in those cases where a contracted shinobi took on an apprentice that signed the contract at some point during their training.

"Now that all three of you have finally finished," Yagi intoned as he tossed a mildly irritated glance in Kojimaru's direction in response to him dragging his feet (so to speak). "You'll need to grab your scrolls and follow me to the training rooms that have been set aside for you to use for your first summoning."

Kojimaru rolled up his contract scroll and tucked it under his arm as he rose to his feet alongside of Tenzou. The two of them hurried after Yagi with Kori falling into step behind them. The three of them were then led to the top floor where the smaller training rooms (designed for individual use rather than group training) resided. It was a part of the building that Kojimaru and Tenzou were both intimately familiar with as that was where the two of them had done most of their training alongside Aoba for the past two years.

Yagi pulled up in front of a trio of doors on the north eastern corner of the building that had reserved signs taped to the center of each door before he spun around to face the trio of rookies as he instructed, "You'll need to select a room and once inside you will need to activate the privacy barriers and remove your masks before you attempt to summon a member of your new contract. The more chakra you push into the technique, the higher your first summon will be in the hierarchy of the clan you will potentially be contracted to. Size is not always a factor but as a general rule of thumb; the more powerful (both politically and physically) a summons is, the larger it is."

"For first contact; I suggest you aim small to increase your chances of meeting a summon that will not get offended at being called by what they will see as a 'nobody'. A word of warning, some summoning clans will require you to pass a challenge of their choice before they allow you to call yourself their summoner. That is especially true when it comes to the more powerful members of the summoning clan; the boss of any clan being a prime example. Some of them will also demand rewards and payments each time that you call upon them; so keep that in mind, since some payments will cost you far more than you may wish to pay."

"Your goals for the day are to establish a rapport with a member of the summoning clan whose contract you signed, find out what requirements you will need to fulfill to retain possession of your contract, and acquire permission to summon your new contact for further training and lessons. Occasionally, a summoning clan will require you to visit their home before they allow you to officially become their summoner; if that ends up being the case, you are required to inform me before you allow them to reverse summon you to their home so that your sudden departure doesn't see you being declared a traitor."

"Do you have any questions?" Yagi inquired once he'd finished.

"No, sir," all three rookies replied in unison.

"Good. You will have the rest of the day to establish contact with your new summonses. If you run into any problems, I will be here to answer your questions or help you subdue an unruly summons."

"Come on," Tenzou murmured as he grabbed Kojimaru's wrist and pulled him into the nearest room with him; the taller teen blatantly ignoring the part of their instructions that required them to use separate rooms.

A small fond grin tugged at Kojimaru's lips as he allowed Tenzou to drag him into the room. He knew they wouldn't get in trouble for disobeying that particular order since the only reason that they would have been required to use separate rooms was to protect their identity. That didn't mean that Yagi wouldn't set them to doing menial labor as punishment for disobeying his instructions but they both firmly believed washing dishes or scrubbing floors was well worth sticking together no matter what.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Tenzou dropped Kojimaru's arm and whipped around to activate the privacy seals that would lock down the training room and prevent anyone from walking in on them. Tenzou then reached up to pull off his mask as he rushed towards the center of the room; a huge grin of excitement threatening to split his face in two. Kojimaru snorted in amusement as he reached up to remove his own mask before he sat down and leaned back against the wall beside the door; the green eyed teen more than happy to let Tenzou take first crack at summoning.

Tenzou spun around to face Kojimaru as soon as he reached the center of the room; the slightly younger teen showing off a bit as he kicked his thumb on a tooth and sped through the required hand seal sequence with a dramatic flare. Tenzou then slammed both of his hands down on the hardwood floor beneath his feet as he cried out a commanding, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A circle of sealing script with two lines bisecting it sprang into being beneath his hands and spread outwards for several inches before it burst into smoke. The smoke cleared just a few seconds later to reveal a young juvenile beaver about the size of a medium watermelon with rusty orange fur that was standing up on its hind legs with his its eyes closed as it stretched out its forelegs. The creature yawned a moment later as it lowered its forelegs and scratched at its back with one paw before it opened its eyes for a brief second. The creature then froze as its eyes flew wide open to stare around the bare training room in shock and no little fear as it dropped down onto all four feet.

"Bizekuki, you'd better not be pranking me again or I'm gonna tell okaasan on you!" the little beaver threatened as it slapped its wide tail on the floor in a mixture of fear and irritation.

"Sugoi," Tenzou breathed excitedly as he crouched down beside the beaver to get a better look at it.

"Ahh! Human! Tousan! Kaasan! Save me! I'm too young to be a hat!" the beaver cried as it finally got a look at Tenzou and started running around in circles. Kojimaru had to slap his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter over the antics of the juvenile beaver least he frighten the poor thing even more.

"Don't be frightened; I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your new summoner," Tenzou hastily assured the panicking animal as he sat back and raised his hands to show he was unarmed.

"Summoner…?" the beaver inquired suspiciously as it stopped running and rose back up on its hind legs to eye Tenzou a bit more carefully.

"Hai, I signed the summoning contract with your clan this morning and I summoned you here on my first try. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared," the beaver denied indignantly and several snickers escaped Kojimaru as he recalled the way the little thing had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The beaver jumped and whipped his head around to stare at Kojimaru before it began running around in circles again as it cried, "I'm surrounded by barbarians! Kaasan save me! Tousan defend me! I don't want to be soup!"

"Nobody is going to eat you," Tenzou corrected with a small trace of exasperation as he reached out to snag the flighty creature in his arms. "We aren't barbarians, we're shinobi, and that's my brother."

"Is he our new summoner too?" the beaver asked curiously as he curled into Tenzou's arms and began sniffing at his clothes even as he peered carefully at Kojimaru.

Kojimaru waved to the little thing and flashed it a smile as he answered, "Chigau, I didn't sign the beaver contract; I signed the Otter Clan's contract."

"Really? The otters live just downriver from our dam," the beaver declared as it began searching the room again. "Who did you summon out of their nice warm holt?"

"Er, no one yet; I let Kuma go first."

"Who's Kuma…?"

"I am," Tenzou replied as he cradled the beaver like a child and inspected one of its paws.

"Hmm, I would have called you tasty. Did you know that you smell like trees and mud?"

Kojimaru couldn't help but burst out in another round of laughter at that comment before he quickly sobered as it occurred to him that his scent must smell very similar to Tenzou's because of his Mokuton. Tenzou shot him a dirty look for laughing all the same, his brother well aware of what he had found funny, before he turned his attention back to the critter in his arms.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Bizemori, future architect and logger extraordinaire; at your service! Where are you hiding the tasty trees I smell on you? Ne, ne; can you summon Bizekuki? She's my twin sister and she'll never believe me when I tell her that I met our new summoner if you don't!"

"Ano, I don't know how to summon a specific individual yet but I suppose I can try," Tenzou replied a little uncertainly as he set Bizemori down on the floor and climbed to his feet. "And I'm not hiding any trees; you probably just smell my Kekkei Genkai."

"Why would your Kekkei Genkai smell like trees?" Bizemori asked as he scampered back a bit to watch as Tenzou ran through the hand seals for the summoning technique a second time.

"Because my brother and I both have the Mokuton," Tenzou replied just before he slammed his hands on the ground a second time. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"You're a Senju?" Bizemori demanded with excitement as a burst of smoke brought with it a beaver that was identical to Bizemori in every way bar the large pink bow that was tied to the base of her tail.

"Chigau, we are both clanless orphans," Kojimaru corrected in a slightly annoyed tone; far too many people always assumed that they were of the Senju the moment they learned they could use the Mokuton. It wasn't that he hated the Senju Clan or anything like that; it was more that he hated the reminder that he and his brothers were using what amounted to stolen Kekkei Genkai. It was also a reminder that their true history and families had been lost to them.

"If you are orphans, how do you know you are not?" Bizemori asked logically as he slipped closer to Kojimaru and sniffed the air.

"Because we're not," Kojimaru stated firmly as he frowned at the persistent little rodent.

"What did you do now, Bizemori?" the female beaver demanded as she strode up to her brother and bopped him on the head with her tail. "Okaasan has been worrying her tail off because you snuck out of the lodge again!"

"Itai! Don't do that, Bizekuki! And I didn't sneak out. We were summoned!"

"Don't lie! Everyone knows we haven't got a summoner, dobe."

"Shows what you know, baka !" Bizemori countered as he narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Why do you think we're both standing in a strange room with two humans?"

"Humans…?" Bizekuki repeated as she halted her tail in mid-swing and stared wide-eyed at Tenzou.

"Not just any humans… Senju… with active Mokuton; can't you just smell the trees on them?"

"We're not Senju," Tenzou corrected with a small annoyed huff before he ignored the juvenile male and introduced himself to the little female. "My name is Kuma; I'm your new summoner. You must be Bizekuki – Bizemori told me about you just before he asked me to summon you here."

"If you are not Senju, then how can you have the Mokuton?" Bizemori grumbled as he crossed his arms and half glared at Tenzou.

"We just do," Kojimaru deadpanned as he pulled a leaf out of his utility pouch and fed it just enough chakra to coax it into growing into a small tree that quickly twisted itself into the shape of a small couch just the right size for the twin beavers with all of its leaves forming the cushions.

"It's a long story," Tenzou added as he grew a small table and a pair of small cups before filling them with water he drew directly from the air. "Once we know one another better, we might be willing to tell you about us but until then, we are not allowed to just tell anybody about our past."

Both beavers hummed absently in response to Tenzou's words as they crept forward to sniff at the wooden constructs; Bizemori even going so far as to nibble on the branches that made up the left arm of the couch. Bizekuki was more interested in the cups of water and she quickly drained one of them before she actually started eating the cup. Both teens felt a shiver of premonition race up their spines as the two beavers eyed them with far more interest while they continued to snack on the items they'd grown.

"If we are kidnapped in our sleep and forced to grow an endless supply of trees for a huge colony of beavers for the rest of our lives, I am going to blame you and then I am going to grow ice splinters in uncomfortable places every time you close your eyes for the rest of your life," Kojimaru threatened in a near pleasant tone as he mock glared at Tenzou.

"I'm sure they wouldn't even think of doing such a thing," Tenzou countered rather quickly; though he did carefully eye both beavers very closely as if he wasn't exactly certain of his own statement.

"Ice splinters…?" Bizekuki inquired curiously as set down her half eaten cup and moved close enough to sniff at Kojimaru's pants.

"Hai, ice splinters," Kojimaru confirmed as he brought his hand up to grow a single ice flower in the shape of a water lily that he offered to the little female. "I wield the Hyouton alongside of the Mokuton."

"So pretty," Bizekuki purred as she boldly scampered right up onto Kojimaru's lap and daintily collected the flower from him. "You can be my personal summoner."

"No he can't baka; he's not our summoner," Bizemori countered as he looked up from the couch he was still chewing on.

"Dobe, we can have more than one contract holder at a time!"

"I've already signed a different contract," Kojimaru interjected before the two could continue bickering. "But I'm sure Kuma won't mind summoning you occasionally."

"Why did you sign a different contract? Don't you like us?" Bizekuki inquired as she looked up at Kojimaru with really wide eyes that shimmered with unshed tears.

"I like a lot of animals," Kojimaru replied with a snort; the puppy-eyed stare had long since stopped working on him after the high number of babysitting missions that Hayama-sensei had put them through when they were younger. Not even his two year old godson could manipulate him with that particular look and not for a lack of effort. "And I signed a different contract because I felt a connection with a different summoning clan."

"No fair," Bizekuki complained with a pout as she abandoned his lap and returned to the table to grab her half eaten cup; the ice flower still firmly clutched in one paw.

"He signed Kawashimo-oji's contract," Bizemori offhandedly informed his sister as he left off eating the couch to drink the second cup of water.

"Oh, that's okay I guess," Bizekuki absently replied in a dismissive tone. She then turned back to Kojimaru before she asked, "Are you going to summon ojisan now? Or are you going to call one of our cousins?"

Kojimaru shifted a bit uncomfortably before he shrugged a replied, "This will be my first time summoning one of the otters so I don't know who I'll be calling."

Both beavers turned to stare at him expectantly before Bizemori demanded, "Well, what are you waiting for? We want to see who you summon so we know who we can go to for help if the elders don't believe us when we tell them we have a new summoner."

Kojimaru let out a soft growling huff in response to the juvenile's pushiness before he reluctantly climbed to his feet and traded places with Tenzou so that he could initiate his first summons. Next, he conjured a razor sharp ice kunai that he used to slice open the pad of his thumb (making the incision far deeper than he could with just his tooth in order to prevent it from healing too fast). He then gathered roughly one tenth of his chakra to pour into the jutsu as he ran through the required sequence of hand seals as quickly as possible (so his thumb wouldn't heal before he could complete the sequence) before slamming his hands down on the floor in front of him as he quietly murmured, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

A much larger circle of sealing script than the two that Tenzou had formed sprang into being beneath his hands and spread outwards for several feet before it burst into large cloud of smoke. From within the smoke there was a small growl of irritation coupled with a hissed curse that indicated the individual that Kojimaru had just summoned was a little irritated. When the smoke finally dissipated, all four of the youngsters (the two fourteen year olds were technically not yet adults, after all, even if most of the village treated them like they were) in the room grew more than a little nervous.

The otter that Kojimaru had summoned was at least as tall as Ibiki and cut a far more intimidating figure than the Head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Department. The sable fur on his back and the cream colored fur of his belly were both liberally sprinkled with gray and he had a thick bushy mustache that was nearly solid gray. Unlike the two juvenile beavers, the otter Kojimaru called wore a gray vest made from cured sharkskin, loose cotton breaches, and heavy black boots. He also wore a twin set of katana strapped across his back, a cutlass on his right hip, and a seaweed eye patch over his left eye.

All in all, the otter looked more like a seasoned pirate than the cute cuddly otter that Kojimaru had been expecting to summon based upon Tenzou's two attempts at summoning.

The otter narrowed his single eye as he glanced around the room once before he focused on Kojimaru. The green eyed fourteen year old bravely held his ground as the two of them locked gazes for a brief moment. The otter then hummed in what oddly sounded like approval before he broke eye contact and turned around to take in Tenzou and the two juvenile beavers that were half hiding behind their summoner. The intimidating otter then let out an annoyed huff before he sternly addressed the two youngsters.

"There you two rascals are; do you have any idea of how worried your parents are because of your disappearing act this morning? We'd feared the gators got you when we couldn't find hide nor hair of you any where near the dam!"

"We didn't mean to disappear, Kawanari-san; honest," Bizekuki contritely offered as she clung to Tenzou's ankle.

"Our new summoner called us and…"

"New summoner…?" Kawanari repeated before Bizemori could finish what he was saying. The otter then glared at both teens in the room before he demanded, "Which one of you inconsiderate humans have been holding these children hostage from their parents?"

"I am not holding them hostage," Tenzou corrected as he scowled in response to the accusation. "This was my first time summoning and after I summoned Bizemori, he asked me to summon his sister so that she could act as a witness to his news that the Beaver Contract has been signed. We just kind of got caught up in a little debate about clans and contracts and lost track of time."

"Why should I believe you? You look far too small to be a summoner."

"Don't you dare insult my brother," Kojimaru growled as he began glaring at the towering summons.

"And who are you to order me about, shrimp?"

"The new summoner of the Otter Contract," Kojimaru retorted as he fought the urge to kick the otter in the shin for the dig at his lack of height on top of the insult directed at Tenzou.

"You expect me to believe that two human-pups have what it takes to be the new summoners of the Great River Clans?"

"Yes," Kojimaru stated without any hesitation. "How else would you explain your appearance inside of a sealed room with us, fish-breath?"

"Well pull my rudder and call me a boat; you've got me there, runt," Kawanari quipped as he slapped his tail on the ground in amusement. "As the little rapscallion in pink mentioned earlier, I'm Kawanari."

"You can call me Tora for now, old geezer."

"Tora…? You don't look like much of a tiger. You look more like a koneko to me."

"And you look like you'd make a great pincushion," Kojimaru snapped back in a flat tone.

"Oh-ho, the little koneko is a bit sensitive, ne?" Kawanari chortled as he slapped his tail on the ground a second time.

"And it's quite obvious to me that you're a bit more than a little senile, old geezer."

"You should learn to show a bit more respect to your elders, koneko; I might feel the need to turn you over my knee and paddle your hind end."

"And you should not insult and threaten a trained shinobi at your advanced age; you might end up throwing your back out when you start running," Kojimaru fired right back as he fell into a defensive stance.

"Sou desu ka? You're a cheeky little rascal, I'll give you that," Kawanari replied as he reached up to draw the katana that sat behind his left shoulder. "Guess I'll just have to give you a quick lesson in manners."

"Careful, there fish-breath; wouldn't want you to bite off more than you could chew at your age – you might choke on it," Kojimaru retorted as a short vine whip riddled with delicate ice flowers grew out of his right hand.

Kawanari barred his teeth at Kojimaru just before he flew towards the fourteen year old with his katana held horizontally out in front of him. Kojimaru stood his ground until the very last second when he twirled out of the way of the attack, covered the floor in a sheet of ice, and cracked his whip in the direction of the otter's feet. The giant otter cursed as he slipped on the unexpected ice before he used his tail to steady himself as he twisted around to slash at Kojimaru's vine whip.

The teen allowed the otter to cut the whip in half as he dropped the whip to the ground and formed a pair of short ice blades that he used to deflect the katana away from his face. He then used his short stature to his advantage as he stepped up under the otter's guard to aim a slash at Kawanari's vulnerable stomach. He would end up skinning his knuckles on the otter's sharkskin vest as the otter's tail snapped around and slammed Kojimaru backwards to stop the attack and put some distance between them.

Kojimaru then threw both of his swords at the summons before he brought the severed whip back into play as the vine grew into a pair of trees that immediately began trying to tangle the otter up in its branches. Kawanari dodged the flying swords and escaped the trap by using Kawarimi to trade places with Kojimaru. The green eyed Chuunin laughed as he melted into the trees and dropped down to the floor as he flooded the entire room with his chakra to make it harder for the otter to sense him. He would rise up out of the floor behind the otter with another pair of swords and attempt to hamstring him just seconds later.

Kawanari cursed as he launched himself into the air using his muscular tail at the last second to avoid the crippling blow. The otter then ran through a short string of hand seals before he expelled a compact stream of pressurized water from his mouth. Kojimaru smirked as he turned the water into ice with a touch of the hand as he side-stepped the attack before he poured chakra into the stream of animated ice and sent it back at the otter. Kawanari would curse again as he once again used Kawarimi to forcefully trade places with Kojimaru.

The teen had expected that though, and the otter landed right in the middle of another trap as the floor came to life to wrap around his legs and tail. The ice flow then curved around to continue its attack while the two living trees in the middle of the room caught Kojimaru and gently set him back on his feet. Kawanari merely laughed as he drew his second katana and hacked the floor to pieces to escape the trap. The otter then began moving even faster as he attacked Kojimaru with a flurry of slashes and jabs that put the teen back on the defensive.

In order to buy himself some breathing room, Kojimaru dove forward under the next attack and let himself sink back into the floor. He then moved into the closest tree and poured more of his chakra into the construct before he cut the leaves free as they began morphing into Moku Bunshin. While Kawanari was busy mowing down the army of clones, Kojimaru was melting the ice he'd created since the start of the spar and flooding the entire floor. As soon as there was a good three inches of water in the room, Kojimaru re-flooded the floor with his chakra and moved so that he was positioned directly beneath the otter.

Timing his attack carefully, Kojimaru froze the water once more as he reached up and grabbed hold of the otter's tail and pulled him half down into the floor with him. Vines of both wood and ice wrapped themselves tightly about the otter as Kojimaru released him and climbed up out of the floor. He had only a brief moment to smirk at the summons before what he thought had been the otter exploded into a puddle of water; he'd caught a Mizu Bunshin. He had only a brief moment to wonder where the hell Kawanari had gotten to before he felt a breath of warm air ghost along his neck just before his world went dark.

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><p><em>October 01, 0294, 1:13 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

"What a lively little pup you turned out to be, koneko," Kawanari chuckled as he gently caught the unconscious boy before he could hit the ground. He then carried the child over to where the other boy was warily watching him. "When your brother wakes up; tell him to pack for a week long training trip, pup."

"He'll go nowhere without me," the unnamed boy stubbornly insisted as he reached out to take the smaller child.

"That won't be a problem seeing as how Bizezuumi-toumoku will be most interested in meeting the pup that summoned his niece and nephew away from their breakfast. We'll reverse summon the pair of you at dawn tomorrow whether or not you're ready; so I suggest you both be ready," Kawanari countered as he collected the two young beavers. "I only gave koneko a light tap on the noggin, so he'll be up soon enough."

Kawanari then stood up and cut his connection to the chakra that had pulled him from his home just an hour earlier; taking the twins with him so that he could return them to their parents. He reappeared in a puff of smoke directly over top of his family's holt near the mouth of the Houseki River. He then shifted the twins up onto his shoulder as he took to the water and made his way up river with powerful strokes of his legs and tail.

As he swam, Kawanari pondered his clan's newest (and youngest) summoner. He'd known it was the little green eyed gaki that had summoned him the moment he'd clapped eyes on the whelp; the boy's odd chakra announcing him loud and clear (the seal obscuring his signature unable to hide it from the otter due to the nature of the summoning contract). That hadn't stopped him from challenging the pup since the Otter Clan, as a whole, refused to answer the call of a weak summoner; they had their pride, after all. The boy had backbone, that was for sure, and he'd surprisingly performed above Kawanari's expectations.

The most interesting thing about the little koneko had been the merging of the two Kekkei Genkai that the pup carried in his blood. Two opposing Kekkei Genkai that should have canceled each other out; since the Mokuton brought life to the world around it while the Hyouton snuffed it out.

He also couldn't refute that the pup had been well trained in the use of his conflicting Kekkei Genkai, kenjutsu, and in thinking on his feet. The child still had a long ways to go before he could be considered a master but he had a good solid foundation on which to build. If the second human pup was any where near as skilled as the first one, then the Beavers would be pleased with their new summoner as well; especially if the boy carried the same Kekkei Genkai.

"What did you two scallywags learn about your new summoner while you were in the Human Realms?"

"He and his brother are Mokuton users but they refute any claim to the Senju name," Bizemori promptly answered. "He was also really nice to me. His brother's chakra is a bit funny but he grows a tasty couch."

"I sensed great discomfort from both boys each time the Senju Clan was mentioned," Bizekuki thoughtfully added after a moment. "Our summoner said he might tell us their story once we know one another better. He made it sound like it was a big hush, hush secret. You really made our summoner mad when you started fighting his brother too. I think the only reason he didn't join the fight was because he was protecting us from the ice and trees. He also kept muttering something about stupid contracts and stupid tests under his breath the entire time."

"Arigatou, little ones," Kawanari murmured as he picked up the pace.

The trio was nearly to Yubiwa Lake when they were hailed by familiar face and the children quickly tumbled off of the otter's back in order to greet their father. As he trailed after the small family, Kawanari couldn't help but wonder what exciting adventures lay in wait for his clan and their long time allies now that they'd both gained new summoners.

Summoners that were apparently very close to one another; meaning that the otters and beavers would potentially be fighting and working together in the Human World for the first time in over a century.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Ano – uh/um  
>Bizekuki – twin sister of Bizemori; the name of a beaver summons which is derived from bizebaze (beaver) + kuki (stem). This is the format that I will use for all future names of the beavers summoned by Tenzou (much as most of the toads that are summoned in canon have names that start with 'gama').<br>Bizemori – twin brother of Bizekuki; name is derived from bizebaze (beaver) + mori (forest)  
>Bizezuumi – the Boss Summons of the Beaver Clan &amp; uncle to the twins; his name is derived from bizebaze (beaver) + mizuumi (lake)<br>Chigau – can be used to mean wrong, no, or to differ  
>Houseki – jewel<br>Itai – ouch  
>Kawanari – another otter name derived from kawauso (river otter) + kaminari (thunder)<br>Kawashimo – the name of an otter summons that is derived from kawauso (river otter) + shimo (frost)  
>Koneko – kitten<br>Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Technique  
>Okaasankaasan – mother  
>Otousantousan – father  
>Ne, ne – one way of getting someone's attention, can be a sort of childish way of saying hey, hey<br>Sou desu ka? – Is that right?  
>Toumoku – chiefhead/leader  
>Yubiwa – ring<p>

**Definitions:**

Holt – an otter's home  
>Lodges – a beaver's home<br>Rudder – a reference to an otter's (or beaver's) tail

**Notes: **

Relationship between the beavers and otters – I am fully aware that the two species aren't actually related. It's more that their two clans are just close because they both are mammals that live in/near water, spend a lot of time in the water, and made their homes in the same general vicinity (as I have them as neighbors in the story). They also don't compete for the same food sources since otters mostly eat fish, shellfish, and some water plants while beavers are vegetarians.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _I had lots of fun with this chapter... Next chapter picks up from where this one left off and should be up in four days. I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving today had a great turkey day! ~ Jenn_


	18. The Summons

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Eighteen: The Summons<span>

_October 02, 0294 AtD, 5:29 AM  
>Houseki River Yubiwa Lake, Summons World_

Tenzou felt a blanket of unfamiliar chakra wrap around him seconds before he felt himself yanked out of reality. He reappeared on a river bank in a cloud of smoke a heartbeat later. Waving away the dissipating smoke, he got a brief glimpse of two large beavers and a trio of tall otters before a second cloud of smoke engulfed him accompanied by the familiar zing of Kojimaru's unique chakra.

"Chikushou, that was by far the most nauseating form of travel I've ever had the misfortune of experiencing," Kojimaru complained as he cleared away the last of the smoke with a small fuuton jutsu.

"You'll get used to it quick enough, koneko," the one eyed-otter from the night before promised as he grinned at the green eyed teen.

"Sugoi," Kojimaru deadpanned in a flat voice that said he was anything but overjoyed. "So why exactly do I have to put up with you for a full week, fish-face?"

"You weren't kidding when you said he was a right cheeky little pup, Kawanari," the tallest of the three otters proclaimed with a laugh as he slapped his tail on the ground several times.

"At least you got a talkative one; our summoner hasn't said a single word since he arrived," the smaller of the two beavers observed as he leaned closer to inspect Tenzou.

Tenzou laughed at the irony in that statement as he openly studied the two beavers in return; it was usually his brother that was the silent one. Both beavers were right around five feet tall with the shorter of the two falling an inch or two short. Aside from being shorter than the trio of otters, they were also twice as wide; their bodies far stockier and lined with a thick layer of fat beneath their glossy hides. The two of them were also wearing brown vests made from tightly woven reeds and reed rope belts with woven reed pouches attached to them. That was where their similarities ended as the tallest of the pair had lighter fur with an orange tint to it while the shorter beaver had rich brown fur that was so dark it was nearly black.

"Don't worry, my brother will talk your ear off soon enough," Kojimaru commented offhandedly as he briefly glanced at the beavers before returning his attention to the otters. "You never did answer my questions, old geezer."

"Our chief wishes to meet with you so he can decide whether or not he will allow you to keep our contract," Kawanari replied in a cheerful tone as he swept Kojimaru off his feet by the back of his shirt. "We'll see the lot of you in seven days."

"Wait, what…? What do you mean you'll see us in seven days?" Tenzou demanded as he turned to scowl at the one-eyed otter. "I told you my brother goes no where without me; we're not about to let you split us up now!"

"You already split yourselves up when you chose to sign different contracts," the third otter, who was distinctly female, stated as she blocked Tenzou's path when he tried to chase after the otter that was currently carrying his brother towards the river. "And you have your own tests that you will need to worry about, pup."

The two male otters slipped into the river at that point and Tenzou had one last glimpse of Kojimaru's worried green eyes before his brother was swept away with the current. The female otter darted after them the moment they were out of sight. The brown eyed teen took a single step after them before he was stopped by the orange furred beaver.

"You needn't worry about your brother; the otters will not harm him."

"In the nine years since we were placed on a team together, my brother and I have only ever been separated for more than a few hours once and that was only because our sensei sent Kojimaru back to the village alone to deliver an important message while the rest of our team protected an injured comrade. My brother took the separation far harder than I did and I was miserable for all seven and a half days we were apart."

"It's a little late to be worrying about that now," the dark furred beaver stated before he slipped into the water and began swimming upriver. "Come on, Bizezuumi-toumoku is waiting for us."

"Hold on tight; we wouldn't want you to fall off now," the orange furred beaver instructed as he swept Tenzou up onto his back before he too took to the water.

Tenzou latched onto the beaver's vest with one hand as they sank into the chilly water even as he twisted about to stare down the river in the direction that the otters had taken Kojimaru. After a full minute, he let out a soft sigh and swung his gaze forward as the powerful creature beneath him swam upstream with powerful strokes of his feet and tail. He would glance back behind them every few minutes all the same; his concern for his absent brother still strong.

His attention was soon pulled from Kojimaru by his first glimpse of the magnificent dam that sat at the head of the river on the edge of a large lake. Unlike your typical beaver dam, which is built of trees, logs, and branches haphazardly stacked and packed tight with mud, clay, and leaves; this dam was an architectural masterpiece. It was still built from a combination of wood and clay but that was where the similarities ended.

The fifty story construct was made up of horizontal wooden beams that had been sanded flat so that they sat flush against one another and fitted into an interlocking pattern so that no two seams fell directly above each other. Each beam was secured to the one beneath it with several wooden pegs along the center to prevent them from shifting. Set in the very center of the dam was a large floodgate (currently closed) below a large spillway over which the excess water from the lake poured into the river. The outer wall of the dam had then been covered with a thick coat of sun-baked clay into which a detailed mural made from colored stone chips and the broken shards of seashells; he'd later learn that the mural depicted the long intertwined histories of the Beaver and Otter Clans.

"Oh, wow," Tenzou breathed as he took in the dam; a small part of him noting that it stretched off into the distance as far as he could see in both directions.

"That's the Great Beaver Dam; our clan's pride and joy," the orange furred beaver stated in response to Tenzou's soft exclamation.

"It's magnificent," Tenzou declared as he ran his eyes over every inch of the dam that he could see from his perch on the beaver's back. "I dare say it's an architectural masterpiece that surpasses even the historical Tanzaku Castle in Tanzaku Gai."

Both beavers chuckled in response to his words as they angled towards the left bank of the river. Once on land, the two of them took off at a shambling lope towards the dam. They would arrive at the towering wall just a few minutes later and Tenzou was promptly set back on his feet as the two beavers began using their tails to tap out a complex rhythm on a hollow log that sat off to one side of the small clearing that they'd ended up in. A creaking from overhead drew Tenzou's eyes upwards and he soon found the source of the creaking to be a rope and pulley lift that was being lowered into the clearing from the top of the dam.

As soon as the lift reached the ground, Tenzou found himself bustled into the construct by his traveling companions. He grabbed onto the rail of the lift when the entire platform shifted beneath him as it rose steadily into the air just a few minutes later. His eyes were inevitably drawn outwards when he got a bird's eye view of the river as it wound through the forest away from the lake towards the ocean in the distance. Part of him wished Kojimaru was with him at that moment; his brother would have loved the view.

There was little time for him to be depressed over their recent separation as they soon reached the top of the dam and Tenzou got his first clear view of the lake beyond. If the dam was magnificent, it was nothing compared to the rambling city that sat half submerged in the very center of the lake. The entire city (and there was no doubt that it was a city) was made up of graceful towers, sweeping bridges, and rambling walkways that threaded through an extensive water garden filled with an assortment of trees, reeds, grasses, and flowering shrubs.

"Take a deep breath, kit; you're going to need it," the dark beaver instructed with a smirk before he shoved Tenzou into the lake.

He barely had time to suck in a quick gulp of air before he was being dragged beneath the water and part of him wondered if the beavers were going to drown him. He need not have worried as he would eventually learn that all of the entrances to the Beaver Clan's sprawling city were found underwater. Tenzou thought his lungs might burst by the time that they resurfaced inside of a large chamber beneath the water. The fourteen year old spent several minutes coughing as he sucked in great gulps of air before he felt the weight of several eyes on him.

Wiping the water from his face, Tenzou sat up to find himself surrounded by dozens of beavers; most of them right around the same size as his escorts though there were a few here and there that were larger. The absence of smaller beavers actually worried him as he recalled just how little Bizemori and Bizekuki were when compared to those that were studying him right now. And while they didn't exactly tower over him (he was roughly the same height, after all), he certainly felt rather small surrounding by them.

"He looks more like a drowned rat than a summoner," one of the beavers commented and Tenzou suddenly regretted teasing Kojimaru about being called a kitten by his summons as those words set the rest of the beavers to slapping their tails in amusement – the green eyed Chuunin was going to laugh his ass off when he inevitably learned that Tenzou had been called a drowned rat.

"I guess that means that I should fit right in with the rest of the riff-raff, ne?" Tenzou inquired once he'd stopped dwelling on his brother's future reaction as he wrung out his shirt and shook the excess water from his hair.

"It would appear that your brother isn't the only one with a bit of cheek in him," his dark furred escort chortled while more than a few of the other beavers slapped their tails a second time. "Come on; let's go get you cleaned up before we take you to meet Bizezuumi-toumoku."

Tenzou was then led through a series of interconnected tunnels that were all paneled in a mishmash of different woods in no discernible pattern that he could identify. The over all effect was still beautiful despite, or maybe even because, of the randomness of the multicolored pattern. Unable to help himself, Tenzou reached out to drag his fingers along the polished planks and he nearly tripped over his feet when he received an image of a near endless maze of similar tunnels that was far larger than he had expected despite what he'd seen of the city above the water.

He was eventually led into an underwater bathhouse where he found several more beavers all soaking in a steaming pool of mud. The sight of the overgrown rodents soaking in large tub of mud actually made him grin as he recalled the number of times that Emiko had complained about him bathing in dirt when he was younger. His dark furred escort led him passed the mud pool and through a curtain of shell beads strung from strings of twisted plant fibers into the next room where a trio of heated waterfalls cascaded from the ceiling.

"We'll be back in an hour to collect you, kit," the orange furred beaver stated as he opened a cupboard door that had been seamlessly concealed in the wall near the entrance and pulled out a thick towel that looked to have been woven entirely from the soft under fur of a beaver. "Feel free to soak in the mud baths for a bit if you wish."

"You can dump your soiled clothes in the basket just outside of the door and one of the attendants will see to it that they are washed and dried before they are returned to you. You can place the rest of your belongings in one of the shelves along the north wall; no one will bother them," the dark furred beaver added before the two of them disappeared.

Tenzou didn't waste anytime in stripping out of his chilly wet clothes; he'd never been overly fond of cold water like Kojimaru. He quickly dropped the soggy garments into the basket outside of the room, rinsed himself off beneath one of the waterfalls, and headed back into the other room to slip into the mud bath. He let out a sigh of contentment as the heat immediately began seeping into his bones to wash away the lingering chill from his underwater journey; drawing more than a few chuckles from the beavers soaking alongside of him. There was also no denying that he loved the way the heated mud clung to his skin.

Forty-five minutes later, Tenzou reluctantly climbed out of the mud pool, scraped most of the mud from his skin, and returned to the waterfall room to rinse the last of the mud from his body before he used the towel he'd been provided to dry himself off. He'd barely finished toweling his hair dry when a young beaver with light brown fur that was a good foot shorter than him stepped into the room carrying his now clean clothes. Tenzou thanked the beaver for cleaning his clothes as he accepted the bundle back. He then quickly dressed and collected the rest of his belongings before he headed back out the way he'd come in to look for his escorts.

He found them waiting just outside of the mud room for him. They gave him a brief inspection before they once again began leading him through the maze of paneled tunnels. After a while, they came to a set of stairs and began climbing upwards and Tenzou briefly trailed his fingers along the wall to get his bearings and quickly learned that they were climbing the central most tower of the city. At the end of the climb, they reached what could only be described as an indoor garden paradise.

The walls were covered with several different flowering vines, the floors were carpeted with spongy mosses, and every where he looked there were all manner of shrubs and bonsai trees. He let out a soft whistle of appreciation even as he immediately compared the luscious room to Kojimaru and Kosuke's gardens. There was even a gentle waterfall pouring down one wall into a large pond filled with brightly colored guppies that were the size of his palm. Seated just beside the pond in a knarled chair made from twisted oak branches was the largest beaver Tenzou had seen to date.

Even seated, the beaver towered over both Tenzou and his two escorts and if Tenzou had to guess he'd estimate the creature to be at least nine feet tall and close to five feet wide. And even though the large beaver's natural layer of fat beneath his skin made him look soft, there was no mistaking the corded muscles that lined that bulky body. Perched upon the majestic beaver's head was a crown woven from young bulrushes; their sausage like flowers still attached to the stems. Over top of the reed vest (that all of the beavers seemed to wear) this beaver wore a long cape made from the cured hide of an alligator.

"Honored Bizezuumi-toumoku, allow us to present our newest summoner; Tenzou no Mokuton," the orange furred beaver intoned as he and the dark furred beaver swept into low bows and dramatically gestured to Tenzou with both forepaws. Tenzou only had a brief moment to wonder how the beaver had known his name (there had been a glaring lack of introductions on both sides, after all, and he'd not given his true name to either of the twins the night before) before his escort spoke up again. "Summoner Tenzou, behold the venerable Chief of the Beaver Clan, Bizezuumi no Gama."

"It is an honor to meet you, Bizezuumi-toumoku," Tenzou greeted as he offered the giant beaver a respectful bow.

"You are much smaller than my nephew and niece led me to believe you were," Bizezuumi commented as he leaned forward to study Tenzou with deep brown eyes. "Tell me, kit; how many seasons have you lived?"

"I'm fourteen years old, if that's what you're asking," Tenzou replied with a slight frown of confusion.

"So young," Bizezuumi murmured with a nod. "Tell me, how did such a young kit get his hands on our summoning contract?"

"The Sandaime Hokage allowed me to select a summoning contract out of the Hokage's Vault upon my formal induction into the AnBu Corps of Konohagakure no Sato. Out of all the contracts for clans with a strong connection to the earth element, yours was the one that most appealed to me."

"Konoha…? I suppose that would explain why we have not had a summoner since the last of the Shimizu Clan fell at the end of the Second Great Shinobi War. My sister's children spoke of your ability to form furniture and other objects with your Mokuton. I would see you demonstrate this ability by growing a throne worthy of my station."

Tenzou nodded in compliance as he eyed the current chair that the chief was sitting in and mentally calculated the dimensions of the requested throne. He then cast a brief glance around the room to take in the types of trees present before he studied the chief beaver for a second time; taking note of the bulrush crown. The fourteen year old then hummed a single note to himself as an idea began to form in his mind. He studied the picture that had formed in his mind for a few seconds before he nodded again and began running through a sequence of hand seals to help him focus his chakra into the necessary shape.

At the end of the sequence, he slammed his hands onto the moss in front of him and held onto the image in his mind as he felt his chakra surge up to grow the required throne in a burst of smoke. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a large, heavy chair that was made up of sinuous curves that looked as if it had been formed entirely out of bulrushes. It sat low to the ground on four wooden spheres that were six inches in diameter and carved over with a woven bulrush leaf pattern. The chair itself was cup shaped with wide sweeping arms that had the appearance of windswept bulrush leaves that flowed into a tall back with a trio of bulrush flowers that would sit directly over top of the chief's head when he sat in the chair.

"Intricate but not overbearing and overall pleasing to the eye; you've also incorporated my personal sigil into the design and made it so that it would fit nicely with the rest of the room," Bizezuumi mused as he rose to his feet to inspect the newly grown throne. The giant beaver than settled himself into the new throne and gave a soft surprised hum before he added, "Surprisingly comfortable too. I am impressed. And yet you claim that you are not of the Senju. Will you tell me how it is possible for you to carry the Kekkei Genkai of one of Konoha's most famous clans if you are not of their clan?"

Tenzou hesitated for a brief moment before he quietly admitted, "I was not born with my Kekkei Genkai. I was stolen from my home and experimented on as a child alongside many others. My brother and I were the only survivors."

"I see. Was the experimentation you underwent condoned by your Hokage?"

"Chigau; it was the Sandaime Hokage that saved my brother and I from Orochimaru's hidden labs. He saw to it that we were both given to new families who would protect us. We were even hidden from the Hokage and the rest of the village for eight years so that no one would be tempted to steal us away in order to use us for our Kekkei Genkai or turn us into weapons."

"And yet you are a shinobi; by definition that would make you weapons," Bizezuumi pointed out.

"That is one way to look at it but we do not see ourselves as weapons. Our guardians took us in, made us part of their families, gave us back a piece of ourselves when they gave us names, and taught us how to protect ourselves. Our sensei built on what we knew and risked his life and job to protect us by hiding our true abilities so that no one would look twice at us during the Third Great Shinobi War. We may have been raised as shinobi but we grew up human with proper families that cared for us and not for our abilities."

"Wise words from one so young," Bizezuumi mused as he studied Tenzou once more. "I will allow you to keep the contract; however, you must spend this next week forming a connection with three member of my clan and gain their permission to call upon them as your primary contacts. The only stipulation is that all three beavers must be at least sixty seasons old; meaning that you may not count my niece and nephew amongst the three required even if my sister gives you her permission to summon the twins from time to time. I have no wish to see the children of my clan fighting before they are old enough to wield their first hammers."

"Thank you, Bizezuumi-toumoku," Tenzou replied as he quickly bowed to the beaver a second time in order to hide his surprise over how easily he'd gained the chief's permission to keep the contract; he'd expected to be put through some kind of harrowing test to prove his worth – like fighting their strongest warrior or something along those lines.

Tenzou was led out of the chief's throne room at that point and taken to a room in a tower near the edge of the great city that had been prepared especially for him. There he would find a small meal entirely comprised of fruits, nuts, and edible flowers waiting for him alongside of Bizemori and Bizekuki. That was when he learned that his orange furred escort was actually the twin's father whose name was Bizekoeda. His dark furred escort, on the other hand, turned out to be the youngest of Bizezuumi's seven sons and his name was Bizekuro.

After the small meal, Tenzou was led on a tour of the more popular spots of the city by Bizekoeda while playing pony for the twins (who he learned were only six seasons old – which was the equivalent of one and a half years). As they moved through the city, he was introduced to so many beavers that their names and faces all blurred together. During the tour, Tenzou also learned a lot about the Beaver Clan and in turn told his guides a bit about himself; sharing his hobbies, some of his training, a few funny stories about him and his brother, and his dreams for the future.

He was rather pleased to learn that aside from sharing an avid love of architecture and woodworking with the semi-aquatic mammals, the beavers were experts at building traps and gardening. They were fairly good trackers too, though he learned that the otters actually surpassed them in that department. He was a bit sad to learn that they didn't really have any warriors in the clan, since he had long dreamed of fighting beside a summons, but he didn't let it get him down for long. And the beavers could fight, if needs be, they just didn't devote their entire lives to fighting as they were builders by nature.

Over the course of the next six days, Tenzou would actually learn that the otters and beavers had a closer working relationship than he and Kojimaru had first suspected after their first contact with their summonses. It turned out that the Otter Clan was made up almost entirely of warriors and sailors and they offered protection for the Beaver Clan from the perils of nature (such as alligators, tigers, and other predators). In return, the beavers were responsible for building, maintaining, and repairing the otters' homes and ships. Both clans then shared the responsibility of keeping the river free of debris and dangerous predators so that they could travel freely between their two homes.

He also learned quite a bit about the methods that the beavers used to construct their buildings, bridges, walkways, and the otter's ships. On top of that, he'd garnered quite a bit of information on dirt-free gardening methods that he intended to pass along to Kojimaru when he finally saw him again. The last thing he learned from the beavers was how to hold his breath underwater for upwards of fifteen minutes without needing any kind of artificial breathing device.

By his last day in Lodge City (the name of the sprawling beaver city), Tenzou had formed a close rapport with Bizekoeda (who was one of twelve Chief Architects within the clan), Bizekuro (who he'd learned was a Journeyman Gardener) and Bizerikui (an Apprentice Trapper that was only eighty-three seasons old). He'd also befriended Bizehana (the Chief Beaver's sister and mother to the twins) and been given permission to summon the twins on occasion so long as he only summoned them within the safety of Konoha's walls until they reached sixty summers. There were a number of other beavers that he'd befriended as well but he was not as close to them as he was to the others.

And while he would miss spending time in the great city, he was looking forward to seeing Kojimaru after the long separation.

The trip back down the river was filled with laughter and teasing as his three summoning partners escorted him back to the same clearing that he and Kojimaru had first appeared in. Normally, he would have been sent straight back to Konoha from Lodge City but because Tenzou had not exactly arrived alone, they were taking him to meet up with Kojimaru. That would also allow the two clans to share notes about their new summoners (read gossip); providing that his brother had also passed whatever tests he'd been given.

Not that he doubted his brother's capability; it was more that he worried Kojimaru's stubbornness would crop up at the wrong time. The green-eyed teen could dig his feet in over the silliest of things at times; such as his refusal to gulp tea or his ongoing grudge against the Konoha Hospital for serving inferior tea (though Tenzou had long suspected that the tea grudge was his brother's way of disguising his fear of hospitals and medics in general). Thinking about Kojimaru's tea obsession made Tenzou briefly wonder if any of the otters had been foolish enough to interrupt his brother's tea time or worse, attempted to take his tea away when he inevitably dragged the drinking of a single cup out for hours.

Tenzou chuckled to himself as he recalled the pranks that he'd helped Kojimaru pull in retaliation for those who dared interfere with his tea drinking through the years. He'd never forget the look of pure shock on the Yondaime's face that one time when Minato had walked right into the bucket of fire ants that he and Kojimaru had set up to prank another Chuunin. Of course, it was the Kiiroi Senko's girlish screams that immediately followed the brief moment of shock that Tenzou recalled most clearly. He and Kojimaru had laughed themselves sick at the time; or at least, they had once they'd gotten over their terror at catching the blonde Jounin in their prank by sheer chance.

The brown eyed teen was pulled out of his memories as he felt Bizerikui shift beneath him when the stocky beaver climbed up the side of the bank; they'd reached their destination. As he slipped off of the beaver's broad back, Tenzou searched the immediate area for any sign of his brother but he was disappointed when he learned that they had beat the others to the clearing. He wouldn't stay disappointed for long though as the sound of several voices raised in song soon reached his ears and he hurried back to the river to peer downstream.

Tenzou blinked his eyes in shock before he let out a snort of laughter as he took in the miniature ice ship that was being hauled upriver by a pair of otters. Standing on the bowsprit of the small ship was Kojimaru dressed in a new knee length sharkskin vest, a necklace made of shark's teeth, a pirate captain's hat with a long feathered plume, and a seaweed eye patch. Behind the green eyed teen, there were several more otters all seated side by side at two pairs of long oars; each of them rowing in tandem to the rhythm of the shanty they were singing.

As they drew closer, Tenzou could just make out the words of the song…

_What would you do with a drunken otter?  
>What would you do with a drunken otter?<br>What would you do with a drunken otter, ear-lie in the morning?_

It was at that point that Kojimaru's boyish tenor rang out loud and clear with the next refrain…

_Put 'em in a dress and make 'em kiss the captain.  
>Put 'em in a dress and make 'em kiss the captain.<br>Put 'em in a dress and make 'em kiss the captain, ear-lie in the morning._

As the group on the water spied their small group, the otters spontaneously changed the next verse to…

_What would you do with a drunken beaver?  
>What would you do with a drunken beaver?<br>What would you do with a drunken beaver, ear-lie in the morning?_

It was Kojimaru's reply that set the three beavers to yelling in protest though…

_Lock em' in the stocks and paddle his bottom.  
>Lock em' in the stocks and paddle his bottom.<br>Lock em' in the stocks and paddle his bottom, ear-lie in the morning._

The otters and Kojimaru roared with laughter in response to the beavers' reaction as they heaved the ice ship over to the bank and quickly secured it to a partially submersed log that was kept there for just that purpose. The otters then poured over the side of the ship and rushed up to cheerfully greet the trio of beavers that had come with Tenzou. Tenzou left them to their reunion as he dashed up to the ship as Kojimaru formed an ice slide and slid down from the bowsprit.

"Still in one piece I see," Tenzou commented as he wrapped his older but shorter brother in a brief hug; being mindful of the sharkskin vest his brother now wore thanks to the warning Kojimaru had given him about the hide's tendency to shave off skin after his spar against Kawanari.

"Just barely," Kojimaru snorted in reply as he readily returned the hug. "And not for a lack of effort on the otters' part. How was your stay with the beavers?"

"It was great, you should see the dam they built… and their city is bigger than all of Konoha and at least half of it is all underwater. You'd love their gardens!"

"Did you pass their test?"

"Yeah, I passed the Chief's test; he just ordered me to grow him a new throne when I first arrived and then asked me a bunch of questions before he told me I could keep the contract. What about you?"

"Lucky teme, my test involved going on a shark hunt to deal with a pair of juvenile great white sharks that had been terrorizing the Clan's kelp beds for the past few weeks," Kojimaru groused with a grimace. "Damn near lost an arm to one of the monsters when I rescued an overeager apprentice hunter from certain death. I got the teme that bit me back though; I'm wearing his skin and teeth."

"Ouch; how long were you laid up for after that? Did the shark damage your eye too? Is that why you're wearing an eye patch? And does that mean you passed the test?"

"Just a couple of hours longer than normal; I had to wait for one of their healers to yank a couple of broken teeth out of my bone after I shattered the shark's jaw when I fought my way free. No, the shark didn't injure my eye; I put the patch on before I left the Holt as a joke. And yes, I passed the test; got the tattoo and everything to prove it."

"Tattoo…? What does a tattoo have to do with anything?"

"The beavers didn't give you a summoning tattoo?" Kojimaru asked in response as he unbuttoned and rolled up his left sleeve to bare his left forearm.

There in dark blue ink that stood out starkly against Kojimaru's pale skin was a barbed harpoon that stretched from elbow to wrist. The head of the harpoon looked more like a double barbed fish hook that had been straightened; one barb on the right about a half an inch from the point and the other barb on the left a full inch below the first one. Wrapped around the shaft of the harpoon in three loose loops that stretched the full width of Kojimaru's inner arm was a pale green rope. Just beneath the shaft there was a very faint pair of kanji.

"Same no Kouji…?" Tenzou read out loud as he peered closely at the two kanji.

"Nani…?" Kojimaru demanded as he yanked his arm back and peered closely at the tattoo. The green eyed teen then snarled in irritation before he brandished his tattooed arm and indignantly yelled, "Kawarashi, I'm going to skin your otousan alive and use his ancient hide to polish my swords!"

One of the young otters that had accompanied his brother spun around and stared at Kojimaru in confusion before he burst out laughing as his eyes landed the tattoo. That, of course, set the other otters off as they were all apparently in on the joke.

"At least he didn't include koneko as well, ne?" the otter identified as Kawarashi replied once he'd brought his laughter under control. "Don't worry; that one is not permanent anyway."

Kojimaru grumbled under his breath as he sent the otters a glare before he glared down at the tattoo again as he quickly recovered it with his sleeve. Tenzou couldn't help but notice the slight flush that was creeping up the back of his brother's neck and he couldn't resist asking, "New nickname, I take it?"

"I know where you sleep," Kojimaru deadpanned as he whipped his head around to glare at Tenzou next.

"Just asking," Tenzou shot back as he raised both hands in surrender. "It is a rather nice looking tattoo though." When Kojimaru growled in response to the compliment, Tenzou quickly changed the subject by asking, "What is the tattoo for anyway? I don't recall Yagi mentioning anything about summoning tattoos."

"It negates the need for me to use hand seals when summoning specific individuals," Kojimaru replied after he spent a heartbeat eying Tenzou suspiciously. "I just have to smear blood on it and focus the correct amount of chakra into the tattoo and it will bring forth the individual I called. The blue ink used on the harpoon was actually made from the chakra and blood of the three individuals that I am allowed to summon through the tattoo and each loop of the rope has the kanji of one of their names woven into it to provide the focus. I can summon them normally too, but it would take far more chakra to do so because all three of them are rather powerful individuals."

"Wow, you must have really made an impression on the otters then; I am limited in who I can summon at the moment."

"I saved the life of the chief's only son," Kojimaru quietly admitted. "I didn't even know that the otter I had saved was in any way related to the chief until we returned to the village with the dead sharks. The chief is one of the three I can summon through the tattoo; he claimed that he owed me a life debt for selflessly protecting his only son and putting myself in harm's way to do so. I tried to tell him there was no debt because I would have done the same for any of the hunters with us that day but he was even more determined to claim a debt between us after that."

Kojimaru then gave Tenzou a wry grin as he added, "Personally, I think Kawakaze-toumoku just wanted an excuse to get out of the holt every now and then because he's been bored to tears after sitting behind a desk for the past two decades."

The two of them shared a quiet laugh over that observation before they waded into the throng of otters and beavers to make a few introductions and say their goodbyes before they returned to Konoha.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Bizehana – mother of the twins, Bizezuumi's sister; bizebaze (beaver) + hana (flower)  
>Bizekoeda – father of the twins, Chief Architect; bizebaze (beaver) + koeda (twig)<br>Bizekuki – twin sister of Bizemori; bizebaze (beaver) + kuki (stem)  
>Bizekuro – seventh son of Bizezuumi, Journeyman Gardener; bizebaze (beaver) + kuro (black)<br>Bizemori – twin brother of Bizekuki; bizebaze (beaver) + mori (forest)  
>Bizerikui – Apprentice Trapper of the beaver clan; bizebaze (beaver) + kirikui (stump)<br>Bizezuumi – the Chief of the Beaver Clan & uncle to the twins; bizebaze (beaver) + mizuumi (lake)  
>Bizezuumi no Gama – Bizezuumi of the Cattail or Bizezuumi of the Bulrush (not toad, though gama also means toad)<br>Kawakaze – Chief of the Otter Clan; kawauso (river otter) + kaze (wind)  
>Kawanari – one-eyed otter; kawauso (river otter) + kaminari (thunder)<br>Kawarashi – Kawanari's son; kawauso (river otter) + arashi (storm)  
>Kiiroi Senko – Yellow Flash<br>Koneko – kitten  
>Same no Kouji – Shark Bait (Kojimaru's new nickname)<br>Sugoi – wonderful/wow/awesome or dreadful/terrible (depending on how it is said)  
>Toumoku – chiefhead/leader

**Notes: **

Guppy size – yes, I am fully aware that guppies don't naturally grow more than two inches (and that's if you include the tales of the males) in r/l. I used to raise guppies and a wide assortment of tropical and non-tropical fish. My reasoning for there being larger than life guppies is the same as there being larger than life toads, beavers, otters, and other animals in the Naruto-verse. There's obviously something in the water in that world if more than half of the summoned creatures all seem to tower over even cities.

Otters' Shanty – was based off of the old sea shanty that I believe is titled 'Drunken sailor' but don't quote me on that.

Seasons – when used as a measure of time, four seasons equal one year (just in case that wasn't obvious).

Shimizu Clan – a randomly selected clan from which the Beaver Contract was taken during the 2nd War since none of the Ame Canon characters were given surnames in the manga or anime bar Rokushou Aoi who was originally from Konoha in the first place. Shimizu means pure water.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> _This was another very fun chapter to write. It's mostly a filler chapter to add a bit of fluff and humor after so much angst, drama, and tragedy but it also allowed me to flesh out my summonses since they will pop up every now and then later in the story. It also allowed me to give Tenzou a good chunk of screen time since I don't write from his POV any where near as much as I should. I was actually surprised that I managed to give him an entire chapter. _

_Anyway, the boys' training will be wrapped up in the next chapter and they will be assigned to a team. After that, we'll be moving into the next arc of the story but I'm not going to give any hints as to what canon event I completely rewrote. _

_ANYwho, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd like to again thank all of my readers for all of their reviews, favorites, and follows. One of these days I will sit down and reply to them; I just keep procrastinating because I still don't like the review system here and the sheer number of reviews I've been getting is rather daunting. I still appreciate each and every one of them... unless they were flames but I usually don't really count those kind any way. =) ~ Jenn  
><em>


	19. The Captain

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Nineteen: The Captain<span>

_February 05, 0295 AtD, 8:57 AM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Hiruzen drew in deeply of the burning tobacco that filled his pipe and held the lungful of smoke in for a full count of fifteen seconds before he slowly exhaled through his nose as he perused one of the two files in his hand. Green eyes set in a pale face beneath a mop of inky hair stared out at him from the picture; a clear spark of mischief lurking in their verdant depths and belying the serious look the teenager had affected for his AnBu ID Photo. A snort of amusement escaped Hiruzen as he recalled the latest stunt the gaki had pulled just a month earlier.

The impish teen had managed to bond with a rather intimidating otter that loved to push the kid's buttons each time they trained together; a weekly occurrence based upon Kasai's report on the status of each of the newest summoning contracts that had been signed. Apparently, the otter had managed to push Kojimaru just a little too far and the seafaring mammal had ended up trussed up like a roast pig on the barbeque at an Akimichi Food Festival. Hiruzen suspected that one of the Akimichi (most likely Chouza given Kojimaru's relationship with Shikaku and Inoichi) had lent a hand with that prank since the otter hadn't actually been harmed; well, at least not physically – poor thing was probably had nightmares about being roasted alive (or was plotting revenge).

Aside from scaring years off of his summonses (and a large number of shinobi and civilians), the teen's behavior was exemplary and his flawless mission record (which he shared with his self claimed brother and shinobi partner) had been maintained. The pair had also been very attentive to their training; pushing themselves with the same stubborn drive that had marked most of their shinobi careers.

Taking another puff from his pipe, Hiruzen set both of the files down on his desk and shut the folder to hide its contents from the casual eye; he didn't need to skim through the second file, he already knew what it would say. A quick glance at the clock let him know that both teens would be arriving within five minutes; they'd officially finished their AnBu training just four days earlier and it was time to decide exactly what he was going to do with the pair. Well, he'd already decided what he would be doing with them but now it was time to impart that information to them.

He then turned his thoughts to the trainer that had been assigned to oversee their official AnBu training (which had been considerably different than the previous training they'd received within the AnBu Facility; if only because they'd not been taught any of the AnBu Protocols or AnBu specific jutsu during their previous lessons).

AnBu Trainer Yagi had been with the AnBu Corps for almost as long as Hiruzen had been Hokage. The man had no life outside of the AnBu and had, in fact, not once taken off his mask since the day he'd donned it. Not surprising when one considers that the man was a former high level missing nin from Amegakure that had willingly spied upon his old village for Konoha during the Second Great Shinobi War. Hiruzen had been the one to grant the man amnesty before turning him over to Akimichi Torifu.

Torifu in turn, had made the man disappear (figuratively speaking) in order to prevent Hanzou from demanding his head at the end of the war. In his place, Yagi had been born. After proving himself loyal to Konoha (in return for sparing his life after his relative usefulness ran out at the end of the war and for the chance they'd given him at a new life) during his first five years in the Corps, Yagi had been recruited as a trainer. Being assigned as a trainer was one of the highest honors that could be bestowed upon an AnBu Operative because it meant trusting them to train the next generation of AnBu Guards – a duty that could make or break the Corps.

Yagi had again proved his worth and his loyalty as the man had turned the rookies he was assigned to train into some of the finest AnBu Operatives on the force. The man never coddled his trainees; he pushed them hard but never actually pushed any of them to the point that they broke under his training. He also made an honest effort to remain approachable in order to insure that his trainees felt comfortable enough to go to him with their problems; since the sooner a problem was noticed, the sooner it could be dealt with. It was a method that worked well.

Hiruzen had been very pleased when he learned that Yagi had been assigned to train the two survivors of Orochimaru's Kekkei Genkai experiments. Knowing that the two boys would be in good hands had eased some of the guilt he still felt over the actions of his traitorous student. It also helped to ease the guilt he felt about using the two boys to make Konoha stronger – a guilt he felt for using far too many of Konoha's children to make Konoha stronger.

Pushing his regrets back to the depths of his soul where they would not cloud his mind needlessly, Hiruzen glanced up at the clock a second time and noted that the pair would be arriving any second now. He'd barely pulled his eyes from the clock when his current Chuunin secretary stuck her head through the door to state, "Hokage-sama? Your nine o'clock appointment has just arrived. Shall I send them in?"

"Yes," Hiruzen replied as he took one last puff on his pipe before he emptied the bowl in the ash tray and set the pipe off to one side to cool.

The two rookies entered a handful of seconds later; their masks both glinting orange and white in the sunlight pouring through the eastern window of the office. Hiruzen had to fight back a grin when he noticed that both teens were walking in perfect synchronization; their strides matching perfectly right down to the swing of their arms. It was rather amusing to watch when one considered the fact that the boys were separated by a height difference of at least four and a half inches. If not for their differences in height and coloring, the two could easily be mistaken for twins.

Their attitudes were even eerily similar at times.

And at the same time, they were very much their own persons.

They had their own fears (mostly). They had their own hobbies. They had chosen separate summoning contracts. They both focused on slightly different areas in their training even if they both trained in the exact same disciplines. And they both tended to behave differently when stressed or nervous.

And yet, there were times when they appeared to be one mind, one soul in two bodies.

One might be forgiven for mistaking the pair for lovers if not for their ages and the obvious brotherly behavior they exhibited; the two of them constantly teasing one another, standing up for one another, and daring one another to perform fool stunts. There was also the fact that those that were foolish enough to imply that the pair shared a more intimate relationship inevitably found themselves publicly humiliated and given lectures on the inappropriateness of incestuous relationships. An implication that the two boys well and truly believed they were full-blooded brothers.

Hiruzen supposed, in a way, it was true. They shared blood. Specifically, they both shared Kojimaru's and the Shodai Hokage's blood. The fact that they were both listed and each other's only living blood and organ donor was probably an indication that they also now shared Tenzou's blood as well. It wouldn't surprise him if they did.

Hiruzen focused on the pair of teens in front of him once more as they stopped in front of his desk and bowed to him in unison. Hiruzen had to hold back another snort of amusement as he briefly wondered whether or not the two of them spent their free time practicing how to move in sync or if it just came to them naturally. He wouldn't put it passed them to do it on purpose to throw people off.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Hiruzen greeted warmly as he buried his amusement for the moment. He then silently signaled for the unseen AnBu members currently on guard duty to clear his office before he activated one of the temporary privacy barriers that Jiraiya provided him with whenever he was in the village. "Please remove your masks."

Hiruzen was pleased when neither teen showed any hesitation in following his request as it let him know that they trusted him. He briefly examined their faces before he addressed them once more, "Thank you. I called the two of you here today in order to give you your first assignment as full-fledged members of the AnBu Corps. As the youngest members of the Corps currently on payroll, Kasai and I have decided that the two of you will be added to the guard rotations for the village until there is an opening on one of the Hunter Nin squads for both of you; since your specialties involve capture and retrieval."

"Additionally, after reviewing your files; I have decided to promote both of you to the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin. The promotions will apply to both your hidden identities and your AnBu personas; which will allow you far more leeway when it comes to non-AnBu related missions. Your new status as Tokubetsu Jounin will also allow you to work directly with the T and I Department without requiring you to apply for a position within the department. Do either of you have any questions about your new assignment or your new status?"

"No, but I do have an unrelated question," Kojimaru hesitantly stated after casting a brief glance at the other teen.

"Oh? What did you wish to ask me?"

"The summoning clan that I am contracted to has repeatedly expressed a desire to work with me even when I am not wearing my mask since they first learned that my brother and I are essentially leading two lives. I am uncertain of how I can accomplish that without compromising my identity outside of the mask since while I have appeared in two places as both myself and as Tora, I have never interacted with myself in either persona. I was hoping that maybe you had a suggestion that might help."

"And does the clan that you are contracted with also wish to make such an arrangement?" Hiruzen asked of the taller teen after taking a brief moment to digest the question.

"It has been mentioned once or twice but the beavers have not been as adamant about it as the otters. Part of that, I would imagine, would have to do with the fact that Kojimaru has a stronger working relationship with the otter clan and they require him to spend more time training with them than the beavers require of me."

"Is that so? I was under the impression that you were not interested in such a close working relationship with your chosen summons, Kojimaru-kun. Would you be willing to tell me what happened to change your mind?"

"The otters are a warrior clan; they love to fight. They are also very big on teamwork and part of the agreement I made with them when their chief granted me permission to call upon any member of the clan was that I would not summon a member of the clan that I have not trained alongside to a fight. So, I've spent a lot of time training with their younger warriors under the watchful eye of my otter mentor as I learn their fighting style. And it wasn't that I didn't want a close partnership with the otters… I was just not all that comfortable with the blood sacrifice involved."

"I see. And just how close of a relationship have you developed with the Otter Clan?"

"I received a summoning tattoo immediately after I passed my test and I was adopted into the clan two months ago."

"Will you tell me about the test they gave you and what it was you did to impress them at the time?" Hiruzen inquired as his mind supplied memories of the summoning tattoos that Orochimaru and Jiraiya both wore. "I would also like to see your tattoo, if you don't mind."

"Several of the veteran hunters took me and trio of young warriors out shark hunting and I saved the life of the chief's only son when he nearly got himself eaten by one of the two sharks we'd been tasked to kill," Kojimaru replied as he stripped off his left glove to bare his left forearm as he stepped up to the desk and presented the summoning tattoo for inspection.

Hiruzen climbed to his feet and leaned over his desk to get a better look. In dark blue ink that stood out starkly against the teen's pale skin was a barbed harpoon that stretched from elbow to wrist. The head of the harpoon looked more like a double barbed fish hook that had been straightened; one barb on the right about a half an inch from the point and the other barb on the left a full inch below the first one. Wrapped around the shaft of the harpoon in three loose loops that stretched the full width of Kojimaru's inner arm was a pale green rope.

It was exquisite work and unlike Jiraiya and Orochimaru's tattoos, far less obvious in its nature. In fact, if the child had not come right out and told him that it was a summoning tattoo, he never would have suspected it was anything other than a rather detailed tattoo.

He was about to sit back down in his chair when he caught a glimpse of black on Kojimaru's left palm from beneath his curled fingers. Curious, Hiruzen snagged Kojimaru's left wrist in one hand and used his other hand to uncurl the teen's fingers so he could get a clear look at the boy's palm. To his surprise, another tattoo was revealed; this one a stylized paw-print of an otter track that took up nearly the entire palm. Hiruzen would have thought it to be the teen's summoning tattoo if not for the fact that Kojimaru had hidden it while he'd been examining the harpoon inked onto his arm.

"Does this tattoo hold any significance as well? And is there any particular reason why you were trying to hide it?"

"It symbolizes my adoption into the Otter Clan and I wasn't trying to hide it; I just didn't think you would be interested in seeing it when you'd specifically asked to see my summoning tattoo."

"I prefer to be aware of any and all identifying marks on any of my shinobi but most especially on those that are part of the AnBu Corps since anyone catching a glimpse of those marks could identify one of my shinobi while they are wearing their mask; something that could potentially lead to them being compromised while on a mission," Hiruzen pointed out as he released Kojimaru's arm and sat down. He then dropped that subject as he brought the conversation back around to address the child's original concerns. "I believe that we've gotten off track; you were looking for a solution to a dilemma involving a request of your summonses, correct?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"How willing do you think the otters would be to work with you on a ruse designed to introduce your two personas to one another in order to facilitate a way for you to call upon the otters while you are wearing your usual disguise?"

"Very willing; they are the ones that are pushing for me to call on them more often."

"Then here is what I suggest you do; the next time you summon one of the otters, have him lead you through the village to a clone of yourself wearing your usual disguise. There have been past cases where a summons has requested a second summoner if their current one is not powerful enough to summon the boss or if the summoner does not have a child to pass the contract to upon his death. So, no one would question you being led by your summons through the village in search of one that matches whatever criteria they use to select an appropriate summoner. "

"That would also firmly establish Tora as a separate identity from you and allow the two of you to be seen working together; since people would expect you to have to take the time to show yourself how to summon the otters," Hiruzen finished as he picked up his pipe and filled the bowl with a fresh pinch of dried tobacco.

"Won't that increase the chances of people linking me with myself?" Kojimaru inquired worriedly. "I mean, someone is bound to note the similarities in how I look both in and out of my disguise."

"Not if you keep your mask on and add a couple of inches to your height with a henge while you are 'training' yourself to summon the otters in order to further muddle the tracks, so to speak."

"I suppose that might work, so long as the otters are willing to go along with it."

"Good, let me know how it turns out. In the mean time, did either of you have any other questions? No…? Then the two of you are dismissed. Kasai will contact you with your guard schedules once we've adjusted the rotations to include the two of you."

The two boys hastily bowed to Hiruzen before they replaced their masks and left the office as he dropped the privacy barrier. The Sandaime Hokage felt his regular guards return to their assigned posts a heartbeat later as he tucked away the two files on his desk and began working his way through the pile of paperwork that lived on his desk while he waited for his next appointment to arrive.

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><p><em>July 29, 0295 AtD, 4:33 PM<br>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni_

Hatake Kakashi (aka AnBu code name Inu-teichou, Sharingan no Kakashi, Kopi Ninja no Kakashi, and genius son of the Konoha no Shiroi Kiba) stalked through the halls of the AnBu Facility with a snarl twisting his lips beneath both of his masks. He was in a foul mood; his last mission had ended in a complete mess because of a rookie mistake one of his subordinates had made. The idiot in question had not only managed to lose his head (literally) but he'd also cost the life of another squad member and his actions had seen both Kakashi and the remaining member of his team severely injured as they fought their way free of the attack.

The only redeeming factor was that the mission objective had been completed before everything had gone to hell in a hand basket. That did nothing to dampen Kakashi's temper, however. He absolutely hated the fact that he was going to have to replace two squad members. Replacing squad members meant training two new people up to his standards and dealing with rookie mistakes out in the field at crucial moments. Even worse was the fact that he'd lost half of his team on his first official mission as an AnBu Captain and his reputation was going to take a hit for the losses.

Part of the seventeen year old Jounin wished his old squad captain had never retired from the Corps; Tori had been a damned good shinobi and a great captain. Kakashi had been honored when he'd been selected to take Tori's place as the captain of their squad when the man had retired six months ago. Unfortunately, the replacement that Tori had chosen to fill the empty space on their squad had been a closet idiot and it had cost Kakashi two members of his squad. If the idiot hadn't gotten himself killed with his own idiocy, Kakashi might well have been tempted to kill the man himself.

Kakashi growled in the back of his throat as he turned the last corner and marched up to Kasai's office. He kicked open the door without bothering to knock, walked up to Kasai's desk, slammed the black scroll containing the body of his squad's target and his written report down on the desk, and curtly declared, "Nezumi made his last rookie mistake and got both himself and Panda killed in the process. I dropped Taka off in the Infirmary to have his injuries looked at on my way here."

"How serious were his injuries and did you have your injuries attended to yet?" Kasai inquired as he took Kakashi's outburst in stride – nothing ever seemed to faze his supervisor.

"Taka got a bit banged up and he lost quite a bit of blood but he should be fine in a couple of weeks. As for my injury, it's just a couple of scratches; I dealt with them before we got back to the village."

"I best not find out that you're neglecting your health again or I will suspend you for a month without pay and see to it that the medics tie you to a bed for the duration of your suspension. In the mean time, go find Inoichi, show him what happened, and then get your ass home and get some rest. I don't want to see you back here for your debriefing for at least two days. That will give me enough time to put together a potential list of replacements for you to go over."

"Hai, Kasai-sama," Kakashi replied with a grimace; he hated it when Yamanaka Inoichi peeked into his head to view his memories but unfortunately he didn't have a choice unless he wished to spend the afternoon entertaining Morino Ibiki instead. The bearlike head of the T and I Department would purposefully draw the debriefing out just to make him suffer for wasting his time with something as trivial as a mental assessment when he had undoubtedly had paperwork to do.

Two hours later, Kakashi returned to his assigned quarters within the AnBu Facility where he immediately stripped out of his ruined uniform and pulled off the blood soaked bandages that were snugly wrapped around his abdomen and left thigh. He then took a long, hot shower to wash away the old blood and filth that coated him before he stepped out of the shower and spent several minutes inspecting his injuries. Once he was certain there were no signs of infection, Kakashi smeared the roughly stitched gashes with antibiotic cream and rewrapped them in fresh bandages.

After taking a moment to gauge his current physical health and the amount of effort it would take him to get home, he decided to just crash right there in his room. Decision made, he pulled out the worn old futon out of his locker and unceremoniously dumped it on the floor before he grabbed the equally worn pillow and blankets. He then kicked the futon open, made himself as comfortable as he could with his injuries aching, and promptly passed out the moment his head touched the pillow.

Kakashi would end up sleeping for thirty-eight hours straight due to a case of mild chakra exhaustion, moderate blood loss, and his still healing injuries. He was a little irritated to discover that someone (most likely Kasai) had brought in a medic to take a look at his injuries while he was sleeping; the clean bandages, neat stitches replacing the earlier crude ones he'd sewn himself, and lingering traces of healing chakra clinging to both gashes a dead giveaway. He wasn't really surprised to learn that Kasai had come and checked on him though; the AnBu Commander had always seemed to keep an extra eye on him since the day he'd applied for a position within the Corps.

In some ways, it reminded him of the way that Namikaze Minato had watched over him from the moment he'd been assigned to Team Seven alongside of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin. Or the way that Sarutobi Biwako had watched over him during the years he'd spent as a ward of the Sarutobi Clan after his father committed suicide.

Thinking of those he had lost (those he had failed in his mind) over the years brought with it an old familiar pain and Kakashi pressed his hands to his face as he was assaulted by his memories of their final moments.

Obito's broken body trapped beneath the boulder that should have crushed Kakashi. Rin's dying body cooling around his arm after she'd impaled herself upon his Chidori in order to save Konoha from the Sanbi sealed inside of her. Minato standing atop the Hokage Monument while facing off against the Kyuubi coupled with the after image of his sensei and his sensei's wife sprawled on a bloody and torn field with gaping holes through their chests. Biwako's discarded body in the empty cave where Kushina had given birth to sensei's son. And Panda's body turning to ash alongside Nezumi's as both members breathed their last after Nezumi gave away their position because he'd been frightened by a grass snake.

Memories of the men and women he'd killed through the years began assaulting him next but he quickly locked those memories back into the depths of his sub consciousness while silently cursing the fact that he'd been born with an eidetic memory on top of being gifted with Obito's Sharingan. He then swallowed the grief that constantly threatened to drown him each time he thought about those he'd lost. Once he felt in control of himself, Kakashi took a quick shower, tended to his wounds, got dressed in a clean uniform, and slipped on his red and white dog mask.

He then made his way back to Kasai's office so that he could start the long, drawn out process of replacing the two members of his squad that had been lost. He would need as much time as possible with the two new members in order to whip them into shape by the time Taka was cleared to take missions again. The less time spent in the village where he was constantly haunted by the memories of the dead, the better as far as he was concerned.

"What are you doing here; I thought I told you that I didn't want to see you until tomorrow?" Kasai demanded the moment that Kakashi walked through the door to his office.

"I'm here for the list of potential replacements for my squad," Kakashi replied curtly as he ignored his supervisor's irritation.

"Sit," Kasai ordered around a huff of irritation as he reached down to pull a single file out of his desk. "I take it you are determined to remain part of the Hunter Division?"

"Hai."

"I suspected as much and after sorting through the prospective recruits currently not assigned to a team, I took the liberty of selecting your two new squad members for you," Kasai replied as he held the file out for Kakashi to take.

"Why am I not being allowed to select the replacements myself? I don't want to be stuck with another incompetent…"

"If you are unhappy with the pair I have selected, you are more than welcome to hunt down your own replacements but before you turn them down, you should at least open the damn file."

Kakashi scowled beneath his mask but obeyed the order as he opened the thin folder he'd been handed. He briefly wondered why there was only one dossier inside before he pushed that thought aside as he let his uncovered eye study the photographs of the two masked guards and their vaguely familiar code names. The scowl slid off of his face and his eye brows rose in disbelief once he started skimming through the pair's qualifications and skill sets. He then began to frown in contemplation and confusion as he recalled what little he knew about the pair in question.

"Why are you keeping the two of them together when it would be far more beneficial to split them up between two squads in order to utilize their abilities to their fullest?" Kakashi inquired as he closed the file and glanced up at his commander.

"Splitting them up at this point would actually see their level of performance drop; they have been trained as a team for over a decade. Their skills are complimentary, not redundant, despite what it appears like on paper. On top of that, I have absolutely no desire to spend the rest of my life in a living hell for being the one to separate the two of them. They don't take attempts to separate them very well and those that have tried in the past regretted even thinking of splitting the two of them up. They made sure of that."

"And the reason why their file is practically empty?"

"The rest of their background and history is strictly classified," Kasai replied without an ounce of hesitation. "Access to that information is restricted by order of the Hokage and permission to view their full files is given on a need-to-know basis and at the moment, you don't need to know."

"Are their files classified because the Hokage is trying to cover up the fact that they are both bastard sons from some long lost member of the Senju Clan?"

"No. And I would advise you to not to utter that harebrained theory within their hearing or you are liable to end up with splinters in uncomfortable places. They are rather sensitive to any allusions that they are in any way related to the Senju Clan."

"Any other triggers I should worry about?"

"Yes; don't touch Tora's tea if you value your fingers and your pride, don't make insinuations that their relationship is anything other than brotherly, don't insult either of them in the presence of the other, and don't go around digging for information on them or their past behind their back. I should also warn you that both of them will not hesitate to defend any child they see being mistreated and any attempts to prevent them from intervening will earn you their ire."

"So, basically, you want me to play babysitter to a couple of high maintenance brats? Which Bingo Books have they appeared in and which villages will I have to keep them out of?"

"None and it is your job to make certain it stays that way."

"Wait, what? How the hell could they not have made it into any Bingo Book? They are more than old enough to have been involved in the war… even I appeared in at least three Bingo Books by the time the war was over!"

"And you have also been in the spotlight since the moment you earned your hitai-ate because of who your father was, which clan you became a ward of after he died, and who your Jounin sensei was when you were finally assigned to a team. A small handful of people went to great lengths to keep these two out of the spotlight; my predecessor and their Jounin sensei chief amongst them. They have lived in the shadows almost their entire lives and that is where they firmly intend to stay."

"Are they as good as the rumors say they are?"

"Better. Their mission record alone speaks for their skill; they have never failed a single mission, lost a single target or client, or gotten one of their teammates injured or killed with a rookie mistake. Despite their annoying habits, strange quirks, and occasional tempers, they are a damned good pair of shinobi. And they are only going to grow stronger with time and training."

"Who is after them?" Kakashi asked quietly as he reopened the file and began studying what little information he'd been provided in more depth.

"What do you mean?" Kasai asked in a wary tone that immediately told Kakashi that he was not only on the right track but that he'd just ventured into potentially dangerous territory.

"Much of their history is considered classified, they've been associated with the Corps since they were at least ten years old (when they helped repel the siege near the end of the war), and people have gone to great lengths to keep them out of the spotlight. The only reason for doing so would be because someone dangerous is after them."

"I should have known that you'd deduce that much," Kasai growled in annoyed exasperation.

"So, who is after them?"

"That's their story to tell; if, and only if, they become part of your squad. If you want to know their secrets, you're going to have to hear it from their mouths as they are the only ones authorized to divulge that information without facing drastic repercussions for doing so outside of a direct order from the Hokage that has been signed off by me as authentic."

Kakashi let out an impressed whistled; very few village secrets required such extensive security measures. It made him wonder if he should even be considering taking the pair onto his squad. Sure, their skills were rather impressive. But were their skills worth the headaches they would undoubtedly give him down the road?

"Who trained them?"

"Yagi."

"Any chance I can see what they can do with my own eyes before I decide whether or not I want the baggage that comes with accepting them on my squad?" Kakashi inquired as he nodded in response to the answer; he knew Yagi well and trusted the man's skill and judgment – Yagi-teichou had been his AnBu Trainer back when he first joined the Corps.

"Hai, I sent for them the moment I felt you break the small monitoring seal I placed on your door to let me know when you rejoined the land of the living. They should be waiting for us upstairs."

Kakashi patently ignored the reminder that Kasai had been mothering him again as they made their way up to the main entrance to the AnBu Facility's most notorious training facility know as The Gauntlet. Patiently waiting for them right outside the door, were Tora and Kuma. Kakashi took the time to study the pair's body language as he approached them alongside of Kasai. He quickly and easily noted the silent conversation the two held in the brief glance they shared before they openly studied him in return.

Kuma's dark eyes were curious behind his bear mask while Tora's green eyes were filled with equal measures of caution and calculation. Kakashi resisted the sudden urge he felt to stand up straighter beneath the intensity of those unnaturally green eyes. Those eyes were far too old and too jaded to be the eyes of a mere fifteen year old. They were eyes that were not all that different from the eye that stared Kakashi back from the mirror whenever he saw his reflection. A heartbeat later, Tora blinked and those verdant eyes were filled with mischievousness.

Kakashi almost wondered if he'd just imagined what he'd seen in those eyes when he first glanced into them but upon brief reflection, he was certain that he had not imagined it. He could clearly see the memory in flawless detail in his mind's eye and he knew he had not mistaken the jaded look he'd seen in those verdant eyes. Now he just had to figure out whether the experiences behind that look were going to be a good thing or a bad thing for his squad. He'd just lost another two teammates and he had no plans to allow another idiot to place the life of his remaining teammate in danger.

"Good, you're both here. This is Inu-teichou; he's going to be evaluating your skills today. Inu, meet Kuma and Tora; the most annoying pair of rookies currently on staff. Have fun and if you destroy The Gauntlet a second time, I will take it out of your hides and your paychecks."

"Shall we get started?" Kakashi asked as both boys reassessed him; both of their eyes now filled with that same cynical look he'd seen in Tora's earlier.

"Hai, Inu-teichou," Kuma replied while Tora simply nodded before stepping through the door.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Hai – yes  
>Konoha no Shiroi Kiba – Konoha's White Fang<br>Kopi Ninja no Kakashi – Copy Ninja Kakashi  
>Nezumi – rat<br>Sharingan no Kakashi – Kakashi of the Sharingan  
>Taka – hawk<br>Tori – bird


	20. The Kidnapping

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><strong>IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

_It has come to my attention that there are a handful of individuals who are annoyed or offended by my use of Japanese vocabulary in the story or by the fact that I choose to provide a small glossary of Japanese terms as a footnote at the bottom of the page. I will not apologize for my decision to include a smattering of Japanese words in this or any other story that I write. Nor will I remove them. _

_I include the Japanese names and terms because a number of the universes that I have chosen to use for my crossovers originated in Japan (Naruto, Natsume Yujincho, and SAO most prominently), and it is my tribute to their creators. In most cases, the English translations for certain nicknames or jutsu sound somewhat strange or silly to me. So, I instead choose to use their original Japanese names. The only exceptions are my Gundam Wing and Hunter x Hunter crossovers and even then I included a small handful of terms that needed to be defined or translated._

_I will also not disrupt the flow of my story to interject English translations within the story text. The only exception is when I have a character within the story translate a word or phrase for another character within the story. To me, there is nothing more annoying than to get caught up in a story and suddenly have the author rip you out of their story just to provide a translation or other author's note. I have stopped reading stories that use such a format unless they are exceptionally well written and the interruptions are very minimal (meaning less than three per chapter). _

_Furthermore, the use of footnotes and glossaries are something I've seen thousands of times in the published novels and works I have read; so I really don't see what the big deal is. If my style of writing and methods of translation are that distasteful to you, then you can always move your little mouse curser up to the top, right hand corner of the browser and click on the little red button with the 'x' to close my story out or go one step further and remove my story/stories from your favorite/follow lists. I will never force anyone to read my stories if they are unhappy with them. _

_As a side note, I will be posting this announcement in each of my current WIPs to make certain that all of my readers see it at least once. So, for those of you who are following my other stories; if you have read it here, you can skip it in the next updates for my other stories. ~ Jenn_

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty: The Kidnapping<span>

_August 05, 0295 AtD, 11:03 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

Kojimaru silently ghosted through the streets of Konoha in his AnBu uniform as he patrolled the sleeping village. He had less than an hour remaining before the next watch was due to relieve him and he was looking forward to going home and getting some well deserved rest. He'd had precious little rest since he and Tenzou had been placed on Inu's squad on his fifteenth birthday because Inu was training them into the ground from sunrise to sunset while they waited for their third squad member to be cleared for duty by the medical staff. On top of that, all active AnBu members within the village had been called on to patrol the village in six hour shifts after a delegation from Kumogakure turned up four days earlier in order to renegotiate the treaty between their two villages.

So between training and guard duty, Kojimaru was lucky to get three hours of sleep each night.

If not for his natural healing ability washing away his exhaustion, soothing his aching muscles, and clearing away his bruises, Kojimaru doubted he'd have survived the past five days. He was also still more than a little irked that Kasai had called them in on his birthday for that and he hoped the commander and his new captain had been enjoying the splinters he'd grown on their furniture in retaliation for ruining his birthday and making him miss his party. They'd also made them miss out on a chance to hang out with Aoba for an entire day after the older teen had taken the day off on the thirty-first just to spend time with the two of them.

The teen's mental grumbling ground to a halt in an instant as he turned the corner and stepped through the leading edge of an active, large scale genjutsu. He felt a brief sense of vertigo as the genjutsu attempted to ensnare him before the illusion melted away entirely and Kojimaru quickly shook off the familiar disorienting effect that all genjutsu caused when used on him so he could focus on his immediate surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he was standing at the edge of the Hyuuga's Estate and that the entire street was completely deserted – a sure sign that something was wrong because the current head of the clan consistently had guards posted outside of the estate twenty-four hours a day.

Moving swiftly, Kojimaru merged into the nearest tree and headed straight for the top so he could get a clear view of the entire street and get an idea of how far the genjutsu field extended. It didn't take him long to determine that the genjutsu had been placed over the entirety of the Hyuuga Estate and extended out for at least two yards on all four sides of the large compound. That conclusion was based upon the fact that all of the normal Hyuuga guards that patrolled their estate (both inside and out) were currently scattered about the compound in unconscious heaps.

He suspected there might have been a sleeping agent used on top of the genjutsu since the Byakugan could usually see through most genjutsu the moment it was activated. His next course of action was to silently form several Moku Bunshin and send them to hunt down Inu, Tenzou, and the Hokage in order to warn them of the suspected attack. Kojimaru then slipped out of the tree and began to carefully work his way through the treetops in order to get closer to the walls of the estate as he searched for anything out of place while he waited for backup to arrive.

All of his plans to wait for backup fled the moment he caught sight of a shadowed figured slinking through the estate; the movement drew his attention immediately due to the unnatural stillness that had gripped the entire compound. He still would have waited for the others to arrive if not for the child-sized bundle that was draped over the man's shoulder. If there was one thing that pissed Kojimaru off more than someone attempting to separate him from Tenzou, it was seeing _any_one cause _any_ harm to _any_ child for _any_ reason; children were meant to be protected.

And stealing a child from their home in the dead of night using trickery was causing harm in his mind.

Incised by the crime he was witnessing, Kojimaru relaxed his iron control on his chakra and allowed his Mokuton to wake the trees. He then spent several precious seconds analyzing the man's current path in order to determine the point at which the man would be most vulnerable to the trees. At the same time, he partially merged back into the tree he was on so that he wouldn't have to worry about his silhouette being seen by the kidnapper. With each slinking step he took, the kidnapper moved closer to the ambush that Kojimaru had set for him.

The moment the man crested the wall he'd chosen to scale in his escape, the trees struck at the unsuspecting kidnapper in the blink of an eye. The kidnapper gave a soft, startled cry as his arms and legs were quickly and securely caught in the living branches of the trees while another pair of branches gently plucked the trussed up child from his shoulder. Once the child was clear, the branches pulled back until the man was stretched taunt as additional branches wrapped him tightly in their embrace from the neck down. Kojimaru melted into view the moment the man was securely wrapped up and casually slapped a chakra suppression tag right over the man's mouth; so he wouldn't have to listen to him rant and rave and so that the man couldn't alert any accomplices that were still lurking in the area.

The capture had taken less than a minute to pull off due to Kojimaru catching the man completely by surprise.

The trees delivered their tiny burden to him a moment later and Kojimaru gently unwrapped the rope from the bundle and removed the gag tied around the child's face to find Hyuuga Hiashi's not quite three year old daughter and heiress inside of the bag. The teen let out a hiss of rage that had the branches securing his prisoner tighten painfully and yanked painfully on his arms and legs before he regained control of his anger. It wouldn't do to kill the man, after all, because then Ibiki wouldn't get to play with him. Once his emotions were back under his control, Kojimaru finished untying the little heiress (who was both younger and smaller than his godson) and gently gave her a cursory inspection to insure that she hadn't been harmed.

By the time he was finished with his inspection, he found himself caught up in a pair of terrified, pupil-less lavender eyes that were filled with tears now that whatever had been keeping her unconscious had worn off. Long used to calming down Shikamaru on the rare occasions when his godson showed any emotion other than perpetual boredom (damn Nara genes), Kojimaru shifted the little girl in his arms and gently rocked her as he made soft shushing sounds and murmured soft reassurances to her.

"Maa, maa, little one; you are safe now. I won't let anyone harm you. You are far too precious for me to allow the likes of that brute to steal you away."

After a couple of minutes, the child began to relax before she curled into Kojimaru's arms, buried her face against his shoulder, wrapped her little arms around his neck, and clung to him for dear life. It was at that moment that an alarm was raised from inside of the Hyuuga Estate as the blanket genjutsu that had been layered over the compound had started to unravel the moment that Kojimaru had sealed the kidnapper's chakra. The girl in his arms let out a whimper of fright as the night was suddenly filled with angry shouts and Kojimaru gently rubbed her back and continued to whisper near silent words of comfort and assurance into her ears while he watched the estate come to life as the Hyuuga poured from their beds and pushed themselves up off the ground.

Hyuuga Hiashi came barreling out of the front gate just three minutes later with his slightly younger twin brother, Hizashi, right on his heels. Kojimaru had the trees lower him to the street directly in the path of the two men the moment he realized that they were heading for his prisoner. Hiashi pulled up so fast at Kojimaru's sudden appearance that his brother slammed into him from behind and both of them dropped their doujutsu in surprise. Kojimaru would later laugh his ass off over seeing the two rather stoic men so flustered. There was no amusement to be found in the situation at the moment though.

"Good evening, Hyuuga-sama, Hyuuga-san; you are just in time to take collect a little something of yours that I found being carried off by a fool," Kojimaru stated as he fully stepped out from the shadows so that the two men could clearly see the child he held cradled in his arms.

"Hizashi, take Hinata back to her mother while I deal with the trash."

"That trash belongs to me, Hyuuga-sama," Kojimaru authoritatively growled as the man attempted to step around the teen in order to get to the man that was still trussed up in the trees.

"I will kill him for daring to lay a hand on my daughter and I will not let you stop me!" Hiashi spat back in irritation as he reactivated his Byakugan.

"If you wish to administer justice to this man for the harm he has caused your family, you will need to seek the Hokage's permission," Kojimaru countered firmly as the branches holding his prisoner pulled back and merged into the closest tree trunk to remove the man from Hiashi's direct line of sight. "Finders, keepers, Hyuuga-sama; I found him and I will keep him until I can deliver him to Ibiki for questioning. Do not attempt to interfere again. Unless you wish to spend the rest of the night explaining to Ibiki and Kasai-sama why you assaulted a member of the AnBu Corps while I take your daughter into AnBu custody?"

Hiashi froze and released his Byakugan over the dual threats as he finally noticed that his brother had not collected his daughter from Kojimaru due to the trees snagging hold of the younger twin's foot to keep him in place. Kojimaru had no wish to face an angry father without the protection that the man's daughter currently afforded him. Nor did he wish for the child to be caught up in any fight that could potentially break out if the angry Clan Head and his brother both decide to attack the teen in order to get to the prisoner.

"That won't be necessary, AnBu-san," Hiashi bit out once he'd calmed down. "Please forgive me for my earlier words; I am afraid that I allowed my concern for my daughter's safety and my anger at the man responsible for kidnapping her to cloud my judgment."

"No forgiveness is necessary, Hyuuga-sama; I too was angry when I discovered a crime against an innocent child taking place within our home and can not blame you for wishing the one responsible to pay. A cursory inspection, after I first recovered your daughter, turned up no obvious injuries aside from a few bumps and bruises but I would advise you to have a medic scan her for internal injuries and drugs since she was unconscious when I first recovered her from her would-be-kidnapper."

"Arigatou, AnBu-san; I will see to it that she is examined immediately," Hiashi murmured as he stepped forward to collect his daughter. "The Hyuuga are in your debt for your quick intervention."

"There is no debt between us, Hyuuga-sama; it is my duty and my honor to protect all of Konoha's children for they are all precious."

"Those are wise words from one so young," Hizashi stated as the trees finally released him now that Hiashi's anger had been diffused.

"Not so much wisdom as experience, Hyuuga-san; I know what it feels like to be ripped away from my family and I have no wish to see another child endure the pain and grief of being torn away from his or her family," Kojimaru corrected as he gently untangled the now sleeping toddler from his neck and shirt so he could pass her to her father.

Before either man could respond to Kojimaru's small confession, Inu and Tenzou appeared beside him in twin bursts of smoke. A second AnBu squad appeared just behind the two Hyuuga a moment later. Kojimaru nodded to the two clansmen before he turned his attention to his captain as the man spoke up after a brief inspection of the immediate area.

"Tora, report!" Inu ordered curtly.

"After sending my clones to notify both you and the Hokage of the attack in progress, I set up surveillance within the blanket genjutsu that had been cast over the entirety of the Hyuuga Estate in an attempt to determine how many enemies were involved in the attack while I waited for your arrival. It was only a few minutes after that when my attention was drawn to movement within the estate as a man moved across the grounds carrying a bound and gagged child. Fearing for the child's safety, I quickly set up an ambush on the man's projected path and kept an eye out for any additional enemies while I waited for him to reach my trap."

"The moment he reached the top of the wall, I used the trees to capture the suspect and rescue the child from his grasp before I slapped a chakra suppression tag on him. I retrieved and freed the child at that point and discovered the one I had rescued was the Clan Head's daughter and quickly checked to make certain that she had not been seriously harmed by her kidnapper. During that time, the genjutsu over the estate faltered and failed. The Hyuuga raised the alarm just a few minutes later and both the Clan Head and his brother hurried out to confront his daughter's kidnapper. I intervened to prevent them from the killing the captive in their justifiable anger and returned the Hyuuga heiress to them."

"That was the point at which you arrived, teichou," Kojimaru succinctly finished.

"Were you injured?"

"No."

"Where is the captive now?"

"Above you, Inu-teichou," Kojimaru replied as he pointed to the branches of the tree directly behind them as the tree branches withdrew the prisoner from the trunk of the tree where Kojimaru had stashed him in order to protect him.

"Good job, Tora; I want you and Kuma to deliver him directly to Ibiki for questioning. The two of you are to stay with the prisoner at all times until Kasai or I personally relieve you of your duty. I've already sent a Kage Bunshin on ahead to warn Ibiki of potential prisoners; so he will know to expect you."

"Wakatta, teichou," Kojimaru acknowledged as the trees deposited the prisoner at his feet all trussed up in hardened branches.

Kojimaru then turned away from Inu and began walking towards the nearest tree as the branches securing their prisoner grew feet-like roots and began scuttling along in his wake while Tenzou fell into step behind the mobile prison. All three of them would melt into the tree a heartbeat later before shifting from the tree to the earth below in order to avoid being caught by any accomplices above ground. It was a method of prisoner transport that Tenzou and Kojimaru had perfected years earlier at the urging of Ibiki shortly after Team Fourteen had been designated as Team Kage and assigned to work with the T and I Department.

It took them less than ten minutes to traverse the distance between the Hyuuga Estate and the T and I Facility where they moved back up into a single tree that conveniently sat directly beside the building's entrance. It was a tree that the two of them had had a hand in growing there four years earlier for the sole purpose of giving them an exit point close to their destination. Kojimaru stepped out of the trunk first and scanned the immediate area for hostiles before he knocked on the tree to let Tenzou know it was safe to move the prisoner.

The walking cage separated from the tree next and Kojimaru entered the building and held the door open for their prisoner. Tenzou slipped through the doors on the heels of the prisoner and Kojimaru scanned the street one last time before he closed the door and moved back up beside the man he'd captured. Ibiki and Aoba were waiting for them inside of the lobby alongside of Inu's Kage Bunshin.

"This idiot was caught red handed in an attempt to kidnap Hyuuga Hinata; the three year old daughter and heiress of Hyuuga Hiashi – the current Head of the Hyuuga Clan," Kojimaru reported as the living prison shifted the prisoner into an upright position. "We've been ordered to remain at the prisoner's side until our captain or our commander personally gives us permission to leave his side; we will do our best not to get in your way as you question the prisoner."

"This way, gentlemen; we have a chamber already prepared," Ibiki instructed as he turned to lead the way deeper into the building while Aoba fell into step beside the masked Tenzou in order to provide an extra layer of security for their prisoner. Inu's clone would join the small procession as well.

Kojimaru wasn't the only one to utter a number of curses the moment the identity of the kidnapper was revealed to be the Lead Jounin of the Kumogakure delegation that had just signed a new treaty with Konoha on behalf of his village. Inu's Kage Bunshin immediately dispelled itself to pass on that information to Inu while Tenzou formed a Moku Bunshin that he sent to warn Kasai and Ibiki sent a Chuunin to notify the Hokage. The political ramifications of the attack on the Hyuuga Clan by a member of the Kumo delegation (the leader of the delegation, no less) were worrisome.

Kojimaru's greatest fear was that this would mean that they would end up in another war so soon after the last one and practically on the heels of the Kyuubi's attack. It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about the possibility of war breaking out between their two villages. He never wanted to fight in another war.

The Sandaime Hokage arrived a half an hour later with Kasai, Shikaku, Inoichi, Chouza, and Inu. As he strode into the room, the Hokage ordered, "Inu, take your squad and secure this room. No one is to disturb us for any reason. If any one, and I do mean _any _one, attempts to force their way into this room you are to take them into custody and hold them for questioning. I will not tolerate any interference in this matter when a single mistake could see us in yet another war."

"Wakatta, Hokage-sama," Inu replied as he signaled to Kojimaru and Tenzou to exit the room ahead of him. Once they were outside, he ordered, "Kuma, I want you to merge with the building and monitor the interrogation room to insure that no one attempts to spy upon the interrogation and to keep anyone from sneaking into the room through means other than the door. Tora, I want you to seed the hall with your splinters before you merge with the door; your job will be to capture anyone that attempts to barge passed me as I stand guard over the door."

Both younger teens acknowledged their orders and Tenzou quickly sank into the floor while Kojimaru dug out the half finished splinter bomb he'd been building (it still took him two months to make one device) and scattered the barely visible splinters through the hall in both directions. He also scattered a handful of tiny leaves that were no larger than the fingernail of his pinky finger so that there would be plenty of growing material on hand if he needed to grow an army of clones to help him subdue any troublemakers that turned up. He then leaned up against the wooden door and sank into it while Inu took up post directly in front of the door.

And while Kojimaru couldn't see the interior of the entire building like Tenzou could when merged with the door, he could hear what was happening both inside of the room and directly outside of it and he would be able to control his splinters without needing to see them. Once he was completely submersed in the wood, Kojimaru tuned out the sounds of the interrogation taking place and focused all of his attention on the hallway outside of the room. He also sent a thin thread of his unique chakra out towards Tenzou so his brother could easily garner his attention by tugging on that thread if he needed backup.

During the three hours that their squad stood guard over the room, they would catch no less than seven individuals attempting to sneak or force their way passed their squad. One was a traitor from the Hyuuga Clan's branch family, two were masked individuals that at first glance appeared to be members of the AnBu Corps but were actually not, two were Kumo spies and members of the Kumo delegation that was in the village, and the last two were Orochimaru's spies that had infiltrated the village years earlier.

All seven of the prisoners were conveniently secured within the walls of the building to prevent them from disappearing while their attention was elsewhere. It also kept them isolated from one another so that none of the prisoners actually knew who else had been captured and made it so they could not plot together to either come up with a story for their being there or plan an escape. On top of that, it protected them from a cohort that might attempt to silence them in order to prevent them from spilling their secrets.

At the end of those three hours (during which the would-be-kidnapper was being interrogated), Ibiki and Kasai stepped out of the room to start issuing orders to round up the names of the man's accomplices (the entire delegation and a number of spies living within the village). Inu would take Kojimaru and two full squads of AnBu guards to take those on the list into custody while Tenzou would be left to stand watch over their earlier prisoners alongside yet another squad of AnBu so that he could pull each prisoner from the wall as Ibiki and Inoichi questioned them one at a time.

Not all of those they had been ordered to arrest chose to come peaceably and the ten AnBu tasked with the arrests ended up in more than one fight over the course of the ten hours it would take to capture all of their targets. Kojimaru would feel those ten hours the most as he used his Kekkei Genkai again and again to capture their targets, to fight those who resisted, and to defend his fellow AnBu. It would also mark the first time that Kojimaru fought alongside the otters in a real fight (that didn't involve hunting sharks and gators) after he summoned half a dozen of the warriors he'd been training alongside of for the past five months.

By the time they captured their final target, Kojimaru was being supported by a worried Kawanari because he didn't have the strength to stand alone. He was also still bleeding from a multitude of injuries that hadn't been healed by his natural healing ability due to how far he'd drained his chakra reserves. It didn't help that he was having trouble breathing due to several bruised and cracked ribs he'd gotten when they'd gone to arrest the Hyuuga Elder that had been named by the kidnapper as being the one to hire Kumo to kidnap Hinata in an attempt to take control of the clan from Hiashi.

His captain was in a very similar state; the silver haired cyclops had exhausted himself after he'd revealed a hidden Sharingan beneath the normally empty hole of his mask's left eye. That had been a rather shocking revelation for the fifteen year old as it told him exactly who his new teichou was. There was no time to confirm that knowledge during their mission though and once the mission was over, Kojimaru couldn't even rub two thoughts together long enough to spark a creative insult for Kawanari when the annoying but deadly otter called him Same no Kouji in front of Kasai, Inu, Ibiki, Inoichi, and the Hokage. That was on top of calling him koneko more than once.

To add insult to injury (both figurative and literal), Kasai had him checked into the AnBu Infirmary despite his protests due to the fact that his body was no longer healing any of his injuries. Of course, it didn't help that he was having trouble stringing together complete sentences on top of needing help to stay on his feet. Kawanari would end his feeble protests with a not so gentle tap to the back of his head. Kojimaru swore he'd shave the otter bald at the first opportunity when he woke up in the AnBu Infirmary some forty-eight hours later.

At least he had company in the form of both his unconscious captain and a rather groggy and still exhausted Tenzou. The only reason that Kojimaru was even awake at that point was because his reserves recovered at a rate that was three or four times faster than anyone outside of a Jinchuuriki or someone taking chemical stimulants. That was yet another aspect of his healing ability that Tenzou had regretfully not gained from the experiments that gave him a weaker version of Kojimaru's internal healing ability.

The evil AnBu medics would keep Kojimaru for another two days after he woke up. The only reason Kojimaru didn't just sink into the floor and disappear was because Kisuke (Tenzou's adoptive uncle and AnBu Kirin-teichou) brought him real tea twice each day. It also helped that he had company in the form of his brother during that time. Inu was there as well but the man (who he was pretty certain was Hatake Kakashi) was dead to the world due to how badly he had overused his implanted Sharingan during the ten hours they'd spent running all over the village capturing spies and traitors.

With his entire squad either in the Infirmary (Tenzou wouldn't be released until three days after Kojimaru) or on medical leave, Kojimaru didn't really have anything to occupy himself with other than training. So he spent his time bouncing between the AnBu Infirmary (to keep his brother company until he was released), home (to catch up on the chores he'd been unable to take care of while he was disposed), and the private training rooms in the AnBu Facility. He spent the most time locked up in a training room working to increase his chakra reserves and improve his chakra control since he didn't have anyone to spar with at the time.

He could have summoned the otters to train with him but he was still annoyed at Kawanari for blabbing that nickname out in front of so many high level shinobi that had no compunction against teasing him mercilessly about the name on top of demanding the know the story behind the name. So, he had no plans to summon any of the otters until he had finished planning his retaliation prank. He also didn't feel like pushing his body to its limits with kenjutsu practice so soon after he'd gotten out of the Infirmary because he knew he'd never hear the end of it from the AnBu medics if they found out.

And they would find out.

They were creepy that way.

So Kojimaru stuck to the advanced chakra control exercises that he'd been taught and spent hours meditating in order to direct his chakra internally so that he could stretch his coils to increase his reserves. Tenzou would join him once he was released (the taller teen had suffered from a severe case of chakra exhaustion that, while not as serious as Kojimaru's or their captain's had been, had taken longer to recoup from because it took far more time for his body to refill his chakra reserves). The only break they would take during that time was on the day that Tenzou was released so that they could celebrate Tenzou's fifteenth birthday (three days late).

The moment that he was released from the Infirmary a week after Tenzou, their captain hunted the two of them down just as they finished their training for the day. The man eyed them critically with his single eye from behind his mask for a long minute before he looked right at Kojimaru and stated, "We need to talk."

"Does it have to be right now…? We had plans for this evening," Kojimaru replied with a touch of exasperation; he had an appointment with a pot of freshly brewed tea and a homemade batch of vanilla and pecan wagashi.

"Your plans and your talk are both going to have to wait," Kasai interjected as he walked up behind the trio. "The three of you have ten minutes in which to prepare for a two month long mission to Kumo before you meet me in my office. I've already sent for Taka and the second squad that you will be supporting on your mission."

"Kuso," Kojimaru cursed with a scowl as Kasai burst into a cloud of smoke; identifying itself as a Kage Bunshin and not the real Kasai. "Chikushou."

"Suck it up, Shark Bait; you heard the boss. Go pack," Inu instructed as he began walking away.

"There will be splinters. Lots and lots of painfully sharp splinters of the densest wood I can grow and I will stick them in highly uncomfortable and unmentionable places the moment our mission is over. Frequently and repeatedly," Kojimaru swore as he and Tenzou took off towards their rooms at a steady lope so that they could grab their gear.

Inu's laughter chased the pair down the hallway for a full minute before the sound got lost in the endless maze of hallways. Kojimaru kept muttering dire threats under his breath right up until he and Tenzou entered their assigned rooms. He then tucked away all playfulness and minor annoyances as he quickly gathered his gear from his locker and sent off a single Moku Bunshin to let his godfather know that he would be gone for at least two months and to play decoy for the time that he was gone so that his AnBu persona would not be linked to his everyday identity.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Arigatou – thank you  
>Chikushou – damn<br>Inu – dog  
>Kage Bunshin – shadow clone<br>Kawanari – one-eyed otter; kawauso (river otter) + kaminari (thunder)  
>Kirin – giraffe<br>Koneko – kitten  
>Kuma – bear<br>Kuso – swear word  
>Maa, maa – now, now, there, there, or calm down (a phrase used to placate someone)<br>Moku Bunshin – wood clone  
>Same no Kouji – Shark Bait (Kojimaru's nickname)<br>Teichou – captain  
>Tora – tiger<br>Wakatta – I understand/understood


	21. The Reply

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-One: The Reply<span>

_August 30, 0294 AtD, 3:21 PM  
>Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

It only took the three members of Inu's squad still in the AnBu Facility nine minutes to grab their gear and make their way to Kasai's office. Kojimaru and Tenzou would arrive first in twin swirls of smoke with Inu turning up right on their heels just seconds later. The squad that would be taking the mission with them turned up next and Kojimaru felt a bit better about going on an extended mission when he saw that the captain of the second squad was Kisuke. The green eyed teen felt Tenzou relax beside him the moment he too saw that his uncle would be going with them.

Taka, the final member of Inu's squad, would show up two minutes after Kisuke's squad; the only member present who had not been within the building when they had been summoned. The moment that Taka stepped inside of the room, Kasai raised a privacy barrier around the room in order to prevent anyone outside of the office from overhearing the mission details.

"The eight of you have been selected to deliver Konoha's reply to Kumogakure no Sato," Kasai began as he briefly met each of their gazes. "I won't lie; there is a high probability that I am sending you into a hostile situation and that one or more of you might die when you are forced to fight your way clear if things go pear shaped. We are fairly certain that the hot-tempered Yondaime Raikage will be greatly displeased with our response to his sanctioning of an attack on one of Konoha's clans."

"Sugoi," Kojimaru muttered sarcastically under his breath as he tried to ignore the way his heart twinged in regret and fear over the knowledge that another war just might be inevitable.

"What kind of a reply will we be taking to the Raikage?" Inu asked after he shot a brief glance in Kojimaru's direction; that brief look telling the green-eyed teen that at least one person other than Tenzou had heard his mutter.

"The body of the man that attempted to kidnap the Hyuuga Heiress, the shredded remains of the false treaty that had been formed and signed with deception, a letter and a new treaty from the Hokage, and a declaration of war in the event that the Raikage refuses to sign the new treaty."

"Chikushou, I knew I should have made out a will after the first training session Inu-teichou put us through," Kojimaru groused as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Maa, maa, don't worry so much, Shark Bait; I'll protect you and your teammates with my life," Inu promised as he reached over to pat Kojimaru on the head only to miss when Kojimaru sidestepped to escape the touch.

"Kasai-sama, I would like to put in a request for a week's vacation time in two months. I just discovered that I will have a pressing appointment in Kaze no Kuni to collect a couple thousand of my favorite little friends upon our return."

"I am not giving you time off to gather another colony of fire ants," Kasai growled back in exasperation. "The ones you imported last time were hard enough to eradicate before they could firmly entrench themselves." He then picked up a sealed satchel off of his desk and tossed it to Kisuke as he grew serious once more. "Kirin-teichou, you will be in charge of the mission with Inu's squad providing support. The satchel I just gave you holds the storage scroll that contains the preserved body of the delegation leader and all of the documents you are to deliver to the Raikage bar the Declaration of War."

Kasai then lifted a red and black scroll from out of his desk drawer and tossed it over to Kisuke next as he added, "That scroll contains the Declaration of War and you are to guard it with your life until you either bring it back to Konoha so that the Hokage can destroy it or you are forced to hand it over to the Raikage if he refuses to sign the new treaty. I expect that the man will actually attempt to drag out the matter for as long as possible before he actually makes a decision in the hopes that he can turn things back in Kumo's favor."

"If, after six weeks, he is still stalling, you are to give him an ultimatum – the treaty or war. At that point, you are to give him twenty-four hours to decide before you give him the declaration and get the hell out of Kumo. If he attempts to hold any of you hostage or if he gives the order for you to be executed, you have permission to cut the mission short and get out. In the event you are forced to flee Kumo, you are to leave the Declaration of War behind and go to ground to throw off any pursuit until it is safe for you to return to Konoha."

"Wakatta, Kasai-sama," Kisuke replied as he tucked the scroll away on his person and tucked the satchel under his arm.

"Do any of you have any questions regarding your mission?"

"Has word been sent ahead to the Raikage to expect our arrival?" Kisuke inquired after a brief moment of consideration.

"Yes, we sent word that we were escorting the delegation's leader home along with a copy of the new treaty. And no, we did not give them advanced word that their plot to kidnap the Hyuuga Heiress had failed or that the man who attempted to kidnap her was executed per the terms of the false treaty. The rest of the delegation will be held until we know how the Raikage is going to respond."

"Last question, do any of the terms of the new treaty involve handing over any member of our party in an effort to placate the Raikage? I find it highly coincidental that the squad involved in preventing the planned kidnapping and in rounding up the traitors and spies within the village is being sent to deliver the reply to the Raikage."

Kojimaru couldn't quite stop the involuntary flinch that question drew from him as he immediately understood the implications of Kisuke's words. He would flinch a second time when Tenzou reached out to snag his wrist; the contact unexpected if not unwanted. Part of him was utterly horrified at the mere possibility that he or his brother might be nothing more than a sacrificial lamb being sent to the slaughter in order to stop the brewing war. The only thing that stopped him from snarling in rage over the implied threat to his brother was the near painful grip Tenzou had on his left wrist.

"No, we are not going to make any attempts to placate the Raikage," Kasai refuted without any hesitation and both fifteen year olds relaxed; they trusted Kasai not to lie to them. "The reason that your two squads were selected to take this mission was based upon your skill sets and previous mission records. It is also my hope that the luck that tends to follow Tora and Kuma around will increase the chances that all eight of you will return home safe and sound."

"Good; I would have hated to be branded a traitor when I inevitably refused to sacrifice a fellow Konoha shinobi."

"You would not have been alone," Kasai snorted as he briefly flicked his eyes in Kojimaru and Tenzou's direction. "Did you have any other questions?"

"No."

"Good, then you are dismissed. Good luck, gentlemen."

The moment they stepped outside of the room, Kisuke led them towards the supply room where he grabbed eight of the blank, featureless masks that were typically used by those that were only loosely associated with the Corps in order to hide their identity when the need arose. They were the same masks that Kojimaru and Tenzou had donned countless times starting with the joint Iwa and Kumo siege back at the end of the Third Great Shinobi War. Kisuke sealed the masks into a storage scroll that was tucked into his utility pouch as he signaled for the group to follow him once more.

Ten minutes later, they silently slipped out of the village using one of several hidden gates that were known and accessible only to those within the AnBu Corps. The eight of them immediately took to the trees and headed north the moment they passed through the defensive barrier that surrounded the village. They would put a good thirty miles behind them before Kisuke ordered them down out of the trees.

As soon as they touched down, Kisuke he tossed the satchel containing the scrolls they were delivering to Kumo over to Kojimaru as he ordered, "Tora, you will be responsible for protecting and transporting the Raikage's package until we reach our destination. Kuma, your job is to watch Tora's back and keep trouble from reaching him if at all possible" He then dug the extra masks back out and passed one to each member of the group. "You will need to put those on and cover your hair completely as from this point forward, we will be both nameless and faceless. That means no code names and no nicknames; not even in sign. It also means that you are not to call on your summonses."

Kojimaru slipped the strap of the satchel over his head and left shoulder before he dug out the black hood that was part of the standard AnBu uniform. He then turned his back to the others as he pulled off his white and orange tiger mask so he could pull up the cloth face mask that he usually kept neatly tucked into the neck of his shirt and pull the hood on over his hair. He then stuck the blank mask to his face with a small thread of chakra before he sealed his AnBu mask into the storage seal that had been sewn into the flap of his utility pouch for the sole purpose of storing his mask when he wasn't wearing it.

That done, he turned back around to find that everyone else had also switched out their masks and covered their hair. Kisuke inspected each of them briefly before he gave them the order to move out once more. As the most inexperienced members in the group (and the youngest) Kojimaru and Tenzou quickly found themselves maneuvered into the middle of the formation as Inu moved up to take point while Taka dropped to take the rear; leaving the members of Kisuke's squad to split up and take the sides. Most rookies might have complained over being treated in such a way but both boys were far too used to ending up in such a position to take offense.

It would take the eight of them five days to reach Kumogakure as they had chosen to cut through Yu no Kuni and Shimo no Kuni rather than attempt to shave time off of their journey by cutting across the sea. They had also been forced to cut their speed the moment they passed into Kaminari no Kuni in order to watch for potential ambushes.

From the moment they crossed into Kaminari no Kuni, Kojimaru felt on edge with his anxiety tripling as soon as they entered the barren mountains that surrounded Kumo. It wasn't worry over the mission that was unsettling him though; it was the near complete absence of vegetation. Even the vast desert that was Kaze no Kuni had quite a bit of plant life scattered throughout the sand dunes that spanned nearly the entire country. The lack of any plant life bar a few scraggly weeds made him feel disconnected from the world and it took all of his self control not to seed the mountains with trees as they made their way to the hidden village tucked into the dead mountains.

On the evening before they expected to reach their destination, Kisuke had Kojimaru and Tenzou prepare a hidden base camp where the group could rendezvous in the event that they had to flee the village in a hurry. The camp had been carved right out of the rocky cliffs of the mountains that surrounded Kumo and protected with a barrier courtesy of Inu. That night, the eight of them would sit down and go over their plans once last time before they entered Kumo. When they left the base around midnight, a pair of Moku Bunshin (one each from Kojimaru and Tenzou) would be left behind to guard the camp from discovery by any Kumo patrols that moved through the area.

The instant they presented themselves to the guards at the village's entrance the next day, Kojimaru locked away his personal discomfort to focus on their mission as he kept one hand securely on the strap of the satchel he still carried. The guards took their time checking their group in before they assigned a pair of Chuunin to lead them to the Foreign Quarters where all visitors to the village were housed in shinobi run hotels where they would be closely watched while word was sent to the Raikage of their arrival.

As they were led through the maze of towering cliffs and buildings, Kojimaru discreetly scattered several of his Mokuton splinters along the streets while Tenzou occasionally dropped one of his tracking seeds so they would be able to find their way out without a guide and make it easier to fight their way out, if they had to. At the same time, he let his eyes dart about in order to take in the faces and clothes of the people that they passed on the street. In no time at all, they were shown into the lobby of an elegant hotel that had been built into one of the cliffs where they were assigned a single suite of rooms that they would occupy for the duration of their stay in Kumo.

The moment that they were left alone, Kisuke gave the signal to start putting their plans into motion.

Kojimaru silently passed the satchel holding the Raikage's package over to Kisuke before he pulled a storage scroll out of his utility pouch and released the Doton Bunshin he'd stored in the seal the previous night. Beside him, Tenzou, Inu, and Taka were also releasing Doton Bunshin from storage scrolls. As soon as all four clones had been released, Kojimaru took hold of Inu's arm while Tenzou grabbed Taka and the four of them merged into the wood paneling that covered all of the floors in the hotel – leaving the clones behind to take their place so their absence would not be noticed.

Tenzou then led their brief jaunt through the floors as the younger teen used his connection to the wood to lead them to an empty room on the opposite side of the hotel from the room they'd been given. The two teens pulled their teammates free of the wood a moment later and offered the pair a bottle of water; it was always disorienting and disconcerting for those without the Mokuton to travel through the wood and the first time was always the worst. It would take the two older men a full five minutes to recover from the shock of being merged with the floor (their bodies had briefly been one with the floor rather than just passing through it).

"Proceed with the plan," Inu instructed as he turned to face Kojimaru once the disorientation had passed.

Kojimaru nodded and pulled out a leaf from his pouch (the teen always carried a handful with him whenever he went on a mission) as he moved closer to Tenzou. Once beside his brother, Kojimaru pressed the leaf to the blank mask covering his brother's face and closed his eyes as he brought his free hand up to form half the ram seal. He briefly concentrated on the faces and clothing that he'd studied while traveling through the village and fixed a single image in his mind before he uttered a soft but firm, "Mokuton: Kamen no Jutsu."

Once the jutsu was activated with a minute pulse of chakra, the leaf under Kojimaru's hand grew larger and molded itself to Tenzou's body from head to foot. The moment it had completely encased his brother, the leaf appeared to crack and crumble before it turned to smoke and revealed the newly disguised Tenzou. Instead of a mask wearing teen, there was now a blond haired, gray-eyed teen with mocha colored skin wearing the typical clothes worn by Kumo civilians. Inu let out a soft whistle of appreciation as he got up and circled Tenzou while poking and prodding the disguise.

"Remarkable, it's completely seamless. How long will the disguise hold?"

"It will stay until I release it or until it takes about forty-five percent damage; which is how much damage it takes to compromise the integrity of the jutsu," Kojimaru replied as he pulled out another leaf and approached Taka to do his disguise next; transforming the older man into a merchant from Iwa.

"Can it be dispelled like a normal henge?"

"No; the normal henge can be dispelled by disrupting the person's chakra in order to make the illusion waver and fall but because the chakra in the Kamen no Jutsu is self contained, there is no way to disrupt it bar damaging the thin layer of material that covers the entire body. Are you ready for me to do yours now?"

"Hai."

If Inu had seen the smirk that crossed Kojimaru's face in that moment, he might have had second thoughts about allowing the younger teen to create his disguise. As it was, the blank mask that Kojimaru was wearing hid the evil smirk that the green eyed teen was wearing and as a result, Inu was soon wearing the visage of a female merchant from Iwa; complete with boobs. The disguised Jounin didn't catch on to the unwanted additions to his disguise until Taka couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.

"This is not going to work," Inu deadpanned as he reached down to grab the offending appendages (thinking they were just illusionary), only to be shocked when they felt as solid as the rest of his body. "Get them off."

"Sorry, no can do. Once a disguise has been set I can't alter it," Kojimaru half lied; he could change it but it would actually require him to cancel the jutsu and create a new disguise and he wasn't going to waste the chakra. "It would also just be a waste of chakra for me to remove the jutsu just to replace it a second later and I still have to create my own disguise."

"You did this on purpose."

"Yep, sure did. Besides, you and I both know that the other merchants are far more likely to trust a loving couple than they would a couple of unfamiliar men."

Inu growled and crossed his arms over his chest, only to quickly drop his arms when his new assets got in the way. A snicker escaped Kojimaru as he used the jutsu on himself; which caused a mass of leaves to sprout from the top of his head before they poured down over his body like molasses, changing his form as they went. When it was finished, he looked exactly like Tenzou with the exception of his eyes; which were still green. For some reason, Kojimaru could never change the color of his eyes using any technique.

In fact, the only way that he could change the color of his eyes was through the use of seals (like the ones that Akimichi Torifu had designed for him eleven years earlier). Otherwise, the chakra just slid right off of his eyes in the same way that a genjutsu slid off of him. Those who knew about the phenomenon figured that it was just another facet of his only inborn and unnamed Kekkei Genkai that gave him his accelerated healing rate. Either way, it didn't really bother Kojimaru all that much but it was a huge pain when it came to disguises because his eyes were his most memorable feature. A pair of tinted goggles easily solved that issue now.

"I notice you didn't give you or your twin boobs," Inu pointed out in an aggravated tone.

"Well, yeah; it would not be safe for girls of our age to run around without a proper chaperone and my brother and I will be the ones that are out wandering the streets while the two of you sit in the hotel's lounge and get cozy with the other visiting merchants."

"What a troublesome little gaki you are turning out to be."

"Thank you for the compliment, obachan."

Inu growled but ignored the playful retort in favor of focusing on their mission once more, "Do the two of you know what to do?"

"Hai."

"Good. We'll meet you back here in this room in exactly one week unless this room is occupied by then and in that case we'll be in one of the neighboring rooms. Keep your eyes and ears open and don't take any fool risks. If anything goes wrong, get out and wait for us at the base camp as planned."

"Wakatta," both fifteen year olds replied in unison before they sank back into the floor so they could make their way out of the hotel without being noticed by any of the shinobi standing guard.

It would take them about ten minutes to navigate through the building before they found a point at which they could transition from the wood floors to the dirt and stone of the cliff that surrounded the back half of the hotel (most buildings within Kumo had been carved out of the mountain due to the limited building space available). After that, it was only another two minutes before they were once again standing out in the open. They took a moment to catch their bearings in the unfamiliar village (this being their first time in Kumogakure) before they followed their trail of splinters and seeds until they reached the end of the Foreign Quarter.

At that point they split off from their hidden trail in order to explore the village. This time they didn't bother to set down more splinters or seeds; leaving their original trail as a beacon and guide so that they wouldn't get themselves lost by laying down a confusing number of crisscrossing trails through the maze of canyons and streets. They wandered for several hours before they stumbled upon an open air market and the two of them gladly dug out some of the money they always carried on them to purchase a couple of pork buns and fried squid from a street vendor.

They would spend the rest of the day in the market, listening to the rampant gossip that was being bandied back and forth between the buyers and sellers. A few of the venders would shoo them off if they hung about for too long, the men and women leery of potential theft, but they never went very far and they took care not to appear too suspicious. It helped that they occasionally purchased snacks or treats from the scattered stalls; something that actually eased the minds of the vendors (since they turned out to be paying customers) and made it easier for them to ignore the two boys.

Sunset would signal the end of the day and by the time the last of the sun's light disappeared behind the mountains, the market had shut down and the square was soon emptied of all life bar the two undercover shinobi after the crowds gone home or ventured into one of the other districts in search of food or entertainment. By silent agreement, the two of them slipped away into the night in search of an out of the way place to spend the night.

They ended up in a little used alley between two apartment buildings that had been built fairly close together on the same stretch of rocks. To avoid trouble seeking them during the night, they merged themselves into the cliff wall at the back of the alley and made a small pocket cave deep within the rock and dirt where they could sleep undisturbed without fear of discovery. The newly made cave would also double as a bolt hole in the event that things went to hell in a hand basket at some point during the negotiations. Two other such caves would be set up in different parts of the village for much of the same reason and the two of them would never use the same hide out two nights in a row to avoid getting noticed.

Kojimaru would be the first to wake in the morning and the first thing he did was make a pot of tea and breakfast while he waited for Tenzou to wake up. When the tea was finished, he took his time to savor his first cup of tea since the morning of the twentieth, when Kasai had called them in to give them their mission. As much as he hated going without his tea, he knew better than to waste time on trivialities while on a mission; and as blasphemous as he thought it was to refer to tea as trivial, he knew that it was when it came to missions.

That's not to say he never drank tea while on missions; he did, when the missions allowed for him to indulge. Their current mission was not one of those missions where it was safe to indulge in his favorite past time though. It was also not the place to openly advertise the one habit that could identify him to anyone that paid attention to him and was familiar with his habits outside of the mask. The only reason he was risking it that morning was because he knew there was no one there to see him aside from his brother and he needed to settle his nerves.

"That smells heavenly," Tenzou stated as he crawled out of his sleeping bag.

"That is because tea is the drink of the gods."

"I was referring to the food," Tenzou teasingly retorted with a smirk.

"Heathen," Kojimaru playfully spat back as he passed his brother a plate and a cup of tea.

"Whatever, at least I'm not the one that's looking to be killed once we get home. I still can't believe that you turned our teichou into a woman."

"I owed him a prank and while I don't normally play pranks on a mission, the opportunity was just too good to pass up and you know it will be an effective disguise."

"True, which is probably the only reason why he didn't make a bigger fuss or kill you right there."

Kojimaru snickered even as he nodded in agreement. He then took another sip of his tea before he asked, "So, shall we go back to the market again today or should we snoop around a bit and see if we can't find any kids to blend in and make friends with?"

"We should try and make some friends so we don't stand out as much. Have you given any thought to what we can use as a back story?"

"Hmm, how about a pair of brothers from a small farm that were sent to Kumo to purchase supplies. This is, of course, our first time in the village as we are finally old enough to be trusted on our own. We'll be in town for a week so that we can rest and get a good look around before we have to make our purchases and leave. That would give us a reason to be hanging about in the market and why we feel a need to explore the village."

"That works for me; why didn't our father come with us though?"

"Well, he could either be elderly or he could really busy with the harvest due to the time of year, I suppose."

"What if we change the story a bit instead? We can still be farm boys but we were sent to the village in order to get medicine for our father while our mother stayed behind to nurse our father through his illness."

"Shouldn't we be in a hurry to get back home then?"

"Chikushou, didn't think about that. Elderly father it is then. Why are we being allowed so much time away from home during the harvest though?"

"Because we were constantly getting underfoot and our older brothers wanted to get us out of the way while they helped father to harvest the crops," Kojimaru offered after a moment.

"That might work. Where is our mother?"

"Died in childbirth the day we were born due to her advanced age and the fact that she was carrying both of us. What should we use for names?"

"Yonmaru and Gomaru; our brother's names are Ichimaru, Nimaru, and Sanmaru – our parents were very unimaginative when it came to naming us. You should be the older twin; since it will be easier for us to remember since you are just barely older than me anyway."

"That should work. What kind of supplies are we looking to purchase? Clothes? Tools? Food stuffs that are unavailable on the farm?"

"A couple bolts of heavy duty fabric, buttons, and sturdy shoes several sizes larger than ours. We should also pick up sugar, a large bag of rice, a half pound of tobacco, and an imported tea," Tenzou suggested after he finished the last of his breakfast. "Each one of those items would be rather difficult to get on a real farm since there are no rice fields here in Kaminari no Kuni; especially in the mountains surrounding Kumo. What kind of farm will our father own?"

"Red Bean farm or we could go the other way and have a sheep or goat farm."

"Bean Farm; they grow rather well in the mountain regions and we both know more about gardening than we do about raising a flock of sheep or a herd of goats."

"That works for me. Anything else we might have missed?"

"No, I don't think so, Yonmaru."

"Shall we go explore the village some more then, Gomaru?"

"Might as well," Tenzou replied as he helped Kojimaru to clean up the small mess that had been made in their hidden refuge.

The two of them then slipped into the walls of the cliff once more where Tenzou spent several minutes monitoring nearby chakra signatures before he indicated that it was safe for them to step out of the wall. It wasn't long before they were both once more traveling through the village looking for a large group of children to make contact with while appearing to simply be wandering aimlessly.

Meanwhile, Kisuke's team had made first contact with the Raikage and weathered through the initial storm of the Raikage's fury while Inu and Taka collected and traded rumors with the other merchants that were currently residing in another hotel just a few streets away from the one they had been checked into. The four clones that were taking Squad Inu's place calmly lounged about their room and made idle but meaningless conversation to entertain and distract their hidden guards.

HR

**Translations:** Japanese to English

Doton Bunshin – earth/dirt clone  
>Hai – yes<br>Inu – dog  
>Kaminari no Kuni – Lightning Country<br>Kaze no Kuni – Wind Country  
>Kirin – giraffe<br>Kuma – bear  
>Maa, maa – now, nowthere, there or calm down (a phrase used to placate someone)  
>Moku Bunshin – wood clone<br>Mokuton; Kamen no Jutsu – Wood Disguise Technique (kamen – meaning mask/disguise)  
>Obasan – aunt<br>Same no Kouji – Shark Bait (Kojimaru's nickname)  
>Shimo no Kuni – Frost Country<br>Sugoi – wonderful/wow/awesome or dreadful/terrible (depending on how it is said)  
>Teichou – captain<br>Taka – hawk  
>Tora – tiger<br>Wakatta – I understand  
>Yu no Kuni – Hot Springs Country<p>

**Notes: **

Fake names – okay, I was really lazy with the aliases that Kojimaru and Tenzou are using and the ones I chose were not meant to be insulting. Basically, I just took numbers one through five and added maru to them; Ichi-maru (one), Ni-maru (two), San-maru (three), Yon-maru (four), and Go-maru (five). It was also a way for the two of them to make a joke out of the way they had once been called nothing but numbers by Orochimaru in order to make it less painful the next time that they are assigned a number to identify them on a temporary basis (like when they took the AnBu entrance exam).

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _You know… I'm beginning to sense a pattern with my treatment of Kakashi in all of the Naruto crossovers that I write. He's exceptionally easy to pick on a tease. And the funny thing is that I really like Kakashi. Though, I am disappointed that he didn't really make an effort to teach Naruto much of anything prior to the time skip. In fact, he was a bit of a prick in the beginning. I much prefer Kakashi's attitude post time skip. _

_Anyway… I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. For those of you who were expecting me to update Have Fox, Will Travel today instead of this story, I will be updating Have Fox tomorrow. There's a small section I'm rewriting as I made a few errors on dates and timing within the story that is taking me a bit longer to fix than expected. On top of that, I am finishing up a one-shot that I hope to post tomorrow as well to make up for the fact that I don't yet have the next chapter of Unseen Deductions ready for posting. ~ Jenn_


	22. The Girl

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Two: The Girl<span>

_September 29, 0295 AtD, 6:59 AM  
>Kumogakure no Sato, Kaminari no Kuni<em>

The first rays of sunrise found Kojimaru and Tenzou idly wandering through the confusing maze of streets that made up Kumo with a familiarity born from the long hours they'd spent exploring the village over the past month. Once a week they had snuck back into the hotel that they'd been shown to that first day to meet up with Inu and Taka so they could share information, get an update on the situation with the Raikage, and replace their decoy clones but the rest of the time they had spent memorizing the village's layout and collecting rumors. Over that time, the two of them had worn a dozen different faces and come up with a dozen different background stories as to who they were and why they were there.

Inu had spent most of that time in the disguise of a woman (much to his annoyance) right up until Taka ribbed their captain one too many times and Kojimaru put the older man in a dress just to amuse their captain. Both fifteen year olds had even gone about twice as girls after that; just to prove to Inu that they could carry off the gender switch with much more aplomb than he could and whine about it less. Despite their captain's complaints, he couldn't deny that he'd managed to get far more information by flirting with drunken men than he would have if he'd gone as a man.

Despite the amusement he gained from subtly pranking his teammates each time they met to exchange information, all four of them remained tense and worried. The reason for that was because the Raikage had basically left Kirin's squad cooling their heels as he purposefully put off meeting with them to discuss the new treaty. It also didn't escape their notice that the six week cut off date that Kasai had given them was fast approaching and the threat of war looming over their heads continued to grow in size as the remaining time seemingly slid through their fingers with each breath they took.

Their current goal was to place Kojimaru's chakra splinters and Tenzou's tracking seeds inside of important buildings throughout the village in order to mark those buildings in the event Konoha invaded Kumo in the near future. They also tagged any weak points they found in the village's defenses in order to mark potential points of entry for an invading force. It was a task that both teens found distasteful if only because the idea of fighting another war made their hearts ache at the thought of the pain, anger, and grief that such a war would bring. The only reason they didn't hesitate to carry out that task despite their distaste was because they knew that it would save lives should war be inevitable.

Their target that morning was Kumo's Central Library.

The two of them were just coming up to the street they would need to turn down in order to come up behind the Library when a pained cry followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh cut through the early morning silence. Kojimaru shared a single look with Tenzou before the two of them moved as one towards darkened alley where the sound had originated from. A single glance into the alley revealed two older men accosting a smaller figure and Kojimaru's temper flared the moment he realized that the smaller figure was a young girl and that the two men were in the process of molesting her; one of them pinning the girl's arms behind her back while the other had a hand up her shirt.

Tenzou silently situated himself in the mouth of the alley in order to keep watch for any shinobi wandering the streets and for any potential accomplice that the two men might have keeping watch for them. Knowing that he was limited in what he could do to deal with the pair (both of his elemental Kekkei Genkai far too distinctive and therefore easily recognized), Kojimaru dashed forward to tackle the man feeling the little girl up instead of ambushing them with his Kekkei Genkai like he usually would. The fifteen year old plowed his head into the man's side hard enough to make the man crack his head on the wall beside him when he was slammed into it by Kojimaru's momentum. At the same time, the abrupt removal of the man's hand from her clothes tore the girl's shirt.

The man holding the girl cursed loudly and threw the girl into the wall face first before he made an attempt to help his partner. After seeing that the first man had fallen unconscious from the unplanned knock on the noggin, Kojimaru spun around to deal with the other pervert in time to block the man's sloppy punch. The teen retaliated with a sharp palm strike to the man's sternum, a knee to his groin, and a sharp blow to the back of his head. The entire fight took less than two minutes. Still seething in disgust at what the two men had been doing to a _child_, Kojimaru couldn't resist giving them each a good solid kick between the legs that they would undoubtedly be feeling for hours, if not days.

Kojimaru then shoved his anger to the back of his mind as he hurried over to where the girl was huddled up against the wall holding her bloody nose with one hand and trying to keep her ruined shirt together with the other. The sight of her injuries actually had the teen spinning around to plant a foot in the second man's ribs hard enough to crack them but not enough to break them or puncture the lungs. He had to force himself to resist the urge he felt to kill the two men; it would only draw far too much attention to what had happened here and to their presence in the village.

"Are you going to be alright, youjiyo?" Kojimaru asked gently as he slowly approached the girl in order to not frighten her into bolting when she was clearly injured. "Did they hurt you anywhere else? Will you let me take a look at your nose for you to make certain that it isn't broken?"

"Who are you? Why did you stop them? What do you want from me?"

"I'm just a friend who was passing by; I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I stopped them because what they were doing was wrong; they had no right to touch you like that. And I don't want anything from you; I just want to help you."

"Why…? Why do you care what happens to me?"

Kojimaru sighed at the mistrust he could see in the girl's dark gray eyes and the underlying fear, pain, and loneliness that she hadn't quiet masked. Her eyes spoke of a hard life and part of him wanted to hunt down the ones responsible for hurting her so he could beat the snot out of them. Instead, Kojimaru crouched down just a few feet away from her and dug into his disguised utility pouch for his medical kit.

"I care because it is wrong for any adult to harm a child…"

"I'm not a child! I'm eleven!"

"Are you now?" Kojimaru asked in surprise; he'd actually thought she was closer to eight given the fact that she was so small. "My mistake then, youjiyo. That still doesn't give those two perverts the right to molest you. It is wrong for adults to force themselves on young girls. Or any woman, for that matter."

"I'm not just a little girl! I'm a kunoichi!"

"Are you now?" Kojimaru asked once more, this time with a small trace of amusement. "My apologies, I must have missed your hitai-ate in the commotion."

"I don't have one," the girl replied as her entire face turned beet red all the way to the roots of her light blonde hair. "I'm still in the Academy."

"Ah, that would make you a kunoichi in training then; ne?"

"I guess."

"You don't sound very happy."

"What good is being a kunoichi in training when I couldn't even stop those two from catching me or make them st… stop touching me?" the girl demanded; her voice and breath hitching briefly when she stumbled over the reference to what the two men had been doing to her.

"There will always be others out there that are stronger than you but that doesn't mean that you aren't strong as well. It just means that you have to keep training and keep improving so that you continue to grow stronger," Kojimaru firmly stated in response to her desperate question before he gently moved her hand from her nose and began cleaning the blood from her face.

He had to fight back his anger when he noticed the split lip and livid bruise that marred her face as he immediately realized that one of the men must have slapped her pretty hard earlier and that it was the sound of her being slapped that had caught his and Tenzou's attention. Instead of focusing on the cause of her injuries, Kojimaru focused on easing her pain as he pulled out a small jar of healing cream and gently dabbed it onto her lip before he gently spread it over both the cut and the bruise. He then spread more of the cream on the hand shaped bruises on her arms.

Once he was finished treating those bruises, he packed up his medical kit and stood up before he gently helped the girl onto her feet while he discreetly observed her body language to determine if she had any other injuries that needed his attention. Aside from a being a bit stiff and sore, it didn't look like she was injured anywhere else; her clothes were mostly free from blood anyway (bar what blood had gushed from her nose). He then dug into his utility pouch once more to grab the scroll holding the items that he and his brother purchased as part of their disguises in order to collect one of the loose shirts he'd bought just two weeks earlier.

"Here, since it's half my fault that your shirt is ruined, you can have this one to replace it," Kojimaru offered as he held the shirt out to the girl. The girl hesitated for a moment before she accepted the shirt and Kojimaru turned around to offer her a bit of privacy to change into the new shirt while he asked, "Would you like my brother and I to escort you home so you can tell your parents what happened…?"

"No, I'll be fine. I was on my way to the Academy anyway."

Kojimaru waited another minute before he turned around to study the girl for a moment to make certain that she wasn't just saying that to get rid of him before he replied, "Okay, I'm glad that you are feeling better. Try to stay out of dark alleys in the future though, okay? You never know what kind of scum might be lurking in the shadows."

The girl stared intently into his eyes for a full minute before she nodded, turned away from him, and began walking out of the alley. He watched her shy away from Tenzou when she caught sight of him guarding the alley entrance before she darted off in the direction of the Shinobi Academy. Just before she disappeared from view, she cast a single glance back over her shoulder at them. Kojimaru let out a soft chuckle that turned into a growl as he recalled the two unconscious men that were still sprawled behind him.

Needing to get out of there before he did something that would compromise their mission, Kojimaru returned to Tenzou's side at the mouth of the alley. As he stepped up beside his brother, Tenzou reached up and deftly replaced the tinted glasses (different ones than he was wearing before) that Kojimaru had knocked askew when he'd tackled the first man. The green eyed teen briefly winced as he realized that the girl might have seen his eyes clearly before he pushed the matter out of his mind as he tossed the bloody gauze he'd used to clean up the girls face in the trashcan sitting at the front of the alley. The two of them then continued on their way to the library, heading in the opposite direction of the fleeing child.

"She was a cheeky little thing," Tenzou remarked a moment later.

"Hai; even if she was a little skittish. She was kind of cute too."

"Cute…? Since when have you ever thought girls were cute?"

"Since I've finally gotten a chance to see a few girls," Kojimaru dryly retorted with a snort; the teen referring to the fact that they'd had very little time for anything outside of training or missions for the past three years; there was also the fact that they were only just reaching the age where most boys tended to be more interested in girls.

"Point," Tenzou conceded with a sigh.

Kojimaru's little damsel in distress was soon forgotten as the two of them reached the library where they would pretend to hang around waiting for the building to open while they discreetly slipped tracking seeds and chakra splinters beneath the stone tiles that paved the ground in front of the building. As soon as they heard the doors opening, the two of them smiled at the librarian as she let them in and asked her if she could show them where they kept the comic books. The woman left the two of them to their reading as they both tried to read the latest issue of their favorite manga at the same time.

They would kill an hour pouring over the latest exploits of Samurai Sai the Vampire Hunter before they said goodbye to the librarian and headed out the door; pausing just long enough to conceal another splinter and seed beneath a potted plant that sat right beside the front doors when Kojimaru pretended to break a sandal strap. After that, the two of them headed back towards the open air market in order to grab an early lunch. As they ate, the two of them gathered the latest gossip while they killed a few hours until they could head for their next target.

Neither one of them noticed the diminutive blonde that had been following them all morning instead of going to class like she was supposed to; their minds too occupied with their mission and their senses too busy monitoring the shinobi moving through the immediate area to give any thought to the little kunoichi in training that Kojimaru had saved.

* * *

><p><em>October 03, 0295 AtD, 8:08 PM<br>Kumogakure no Sato, Kaminari no Kuni_

Kakashi was just lifting his nearly empty glass of cheap beer to take a drink while doing his best to ignore the artificial assets clinging to his chest once again when he was hit with the memories of the most recent decoy clone (this one a Kage Bunshin) that he'd left in their group's assigned suite of rooms. He pretended to finish off his beer as the special seal he'd drawn on the featureless mask he wore beneath his disguise for their current mission vanished the alcohol before it touched the lips of his disguise while he quickly processed what he'd just learned. By the time he set his now empty glass down, he was feeling torn between elation and suspicion.

Glancing at his 'husband', Kakashi cleared his throat and simpered, "Darling, I'll be back in just a few minutes; I have to use the little girl's room."

"Of course, dear," Taka indulgently replied. "Did you wish for me to order you another beer?"

"No, but I could use a nice soothing cup of peppermint tea for my queasy stomach," Kakashi replied; his request a code meant to inform Taka that they needed to hunt down the other half of their squad – since both men were fully aware that the hotel never served any tea due to an agreement they had with the tea houses in the Restaurant Quarter.

"I'll take care of it, dear."

Kakashi rose from his chair and gracefully slipped away from the table they were sharing with an old ore trader from Tetsu no Kuni while ignoring the feel of many eyes lingering on his ass as he walked away. He silently swore to never again ogle a woman as she walked away now that he knew how it felt to be ogled in turn. Right on the heels of that oath, he swore to make the little gaki that had temporarily turned him into a woman for the fourth time in the past five weeks pay for the underhanded and repeated prank.

As soon as he reached the women's restroom, Kakashi barricaded himself in one of the stalls and created another Kage Bunshin to replace the one that had dispelled itself. The clone immediately henged into a cricket (since crickets were far less likely to get stepped on if seen than a roach) and slipped out of the bathroom to make its way upstairs. Once that was done, Kakashi emptied his bladder and flushed the toilet before exiting the bathroom. He then made his way back to the table (once again doing his best to ignore the stares) to retake his seat.

"Dear, I'm afraid the hotel doesn't serve any tea," Taka stated the moment he'd sat down. "Shall I escort you back up to our room or do you wish me to take you to one of the late night tea houses in the Restaurant Quarter?"

"I think I would like to try one of the tea houses, darling," Kakashi replied as he once again rose to his feet. "Even if they don't have any peppermint tea, the fresh air and the walk might help my stomach settle."

"As you wish, dear," Taka stated as he too rose from his chair. "If you will excuse us, Takeshi-san; maybe we can meet again tomorrow to finish our conversation."

"No worries, friend," Takeshi, the trader from Tetsu no Kuni, replied as he waved them off. "I do hope you feel better soon, madam."

"Thank you, Takeshi-san, you are too kind."

The couple then left the hotel's bar, Taka considerately guiding his 'wife' with one arm around her waist as they headed for the hotel's lobby. They briefly stopped at the front desk to notify the attendant on duty that they were heading into the village proper to visit the tea houses before they stepped out into the night. Keeping close to one another (their cover demanding that they portray themselves as a happy young couple in love), Kakashi filled Taka in on what he learned from his clone by tapping it out in Morse Code on the hand that was resting on his left hip.

As they passed through a particularly dark street on their way to the Restaurant Quarter, the couple paused in the dark just long enough to form a pair of Doton Bunshin that continued on to the tea house in their stead while they sank into the dirt beneath their feet. They waited a good twenty minutes to make certain that their not-so-secret secret escort had taken the bait and followed the decoys. The two veteran AnBu members then reappeared from the ground before they disappeared beneath a camouflage jutsu as they began making their way towards the first of three refuges that Kuma and Tora had informed them that they'd set up around the village.

The first refuge would turn up empty but they would hit pay dirt at the second refuge when they nearly ran into both younger teens as they were on their way out of their hidden camp. Obviously, the two teens had also received the same message that Kakashi had received from his clone. Objective completed, Kakashi signaled for the two fifteen year olds to camouflage themselves and lead them back to the hotel; the two teens had kept their alternate route in and out of the hotel to themselves since there had previously been no need for the older two men to use it.

Kakashi was less than pleased to find that they would be traveling through the floors once again after they shifted into the hotel through the cliff-side. He disliked the feeling of losing himself inside of the wood and the fact that he had to rely upon one of the two teens to get him safely out of the wood at the end of the journey. Still, aside from the discomfort it caused, it was a good way to sneak in and out of places. They would resurface in an empty room on the same level as their assigned suite of rooms for a brief moment to allow Tora to remove their disguises before they sank back into the wood once more in order to change places with their clones.

The changeover went smoothly with Kuma and Tora's clones being sent back out to take their place in the village so that any one that was expecting to see them wouldn't get suspicious if they suddenly disappeared on the same exact day that their group openly left Kumo. The rest of the night was spent preparing for their departure; the Raikage had ordered them to leave first thing in the morning during the urgent meeting that the man had requested out of the blue earlier that afternoon.

As he lay on the borrowed bed he'd not slept in once since arriving in Kumo, Kakashi mentally reviewed each and every report that Kirin had passed to him during their brief weekly meetings or through the Kage Bunshin he created to take the place of his first earth clone since they had arrived. He disliked the fact that he could not see the reason for the Raikage's sudden change of heart. The man had been stringing them along for five weeks now and Kakashi knew the man was far too stubborn and too full of pride to back down without reason. So, why did he? What does the Raikage know that they didn't?

Was this just a ploy of Kumo's to stab Konoha in the back? Was the Raikage planning to have their delegation ambushed before they could leave the mountains? Did the Hokage send another missive to put more pressure on the man when they didn't return to the village after the first month? Could this be yet another trick, like the first delegation turned out to be? Was the Raikage even now trying to take revenge for the death of the delegation's leader? Had Kumo already deployed an army to lay siege to Konoha a second time? Did the wily Raikage place an assassination contract with Iwa to take them out on their way back?

Round and round, Kakashi thoughts chased themselves as he tried to work out every possible scenario while planning a counter to each and every possibility. Most would assume that the seventeen year old was working himself into a right panic with such thoughts but the truth was that with each plan made, he grew more confident that they would be able to survive anything that the Raikage could throw at them. And while he was annoyed over the fact that he could not deduce the trigger that made the Raikage change his mind, he was more than pleased with the prospect of seeing an end to the current mission and going home.

Kakashi was still awake come morning, though he was feeling far more rested than he had when he'd first laid down the night before. Tora was the second one up and moving and Kakashi watched the green eyed teen languidly stretch like his namesake before he sat up to scan the room. Tora's eyes lingered on Kakashi for a heartbeat and the seventeen year old knew that the kid knew he was awake. Kakashi then let out a soft snort of amusement as the kid rudely shoved Kuma out of their shared bed to wake him up.

Both teens were currently enigmas to Kakashi because he had no idea who they were. Hell, he didn't even know what they looked like beneath their masks since he hadn't had time to sit down with both them and Taka in order to do the usual introductions. He also couldn't help but wonder where the two of them had been hiding all of these years since he had not yet matched the pair to any of his older memories. Oh, he knew they'd been working with the AnBu Corps for at least five years now but that was about all that he knew aside from the information Kasai had given him two months earlier.

That bothered him to a point simply because Tora's leaf green eyes are rather unforgettable; so he should have memories of seeing those eyes without the mask at some point during the past ten to fifteen years – and yet, he didn't.

He also knew that Kuma was far more even tempered than Tora and that Tora tended to hold grudges. The two of them were also inseparable. Something that should have made them stand out more but actually didn't. He was actually more than a little surprised that neither teen had made it into a single Bingo Book; an unheard of feat for a pair of individuals that could wield the Mokuton. Even if Kuma had managed to escape scrutiny, Tora should have attracted attention like nobody's business because he had two Kekkei Genkai.

Correction, he had three Kekkei Genkai; if one counted his accelerated rate of healing.

Kakashi would love to pick the kid's brain for more information but he doubted the kid would willingly spill his secrets any time soon. _Speaking of secrets,_ Kakashi mused to himself. _I still have to talk to him about keeping what he saw to himself; the less people who know I carry the Sharingan the better. I know my Sharingan isn't exactly a secret anymore but it wouldn't do to have it openly announced to the rest of the world. I also don't need anyone prodding the Uchiha into throwing another fit about the fact that I still have Obito's eye._

Putting the matter out of his mind for the time being (their mission wasn't over yet, after all), Kakashi sat up and gathered up his things as the rest of their group began waking up. Fifteen minutes later, all eight of them were ready to go and Kakashi watched as Kirin-teichou once again delegated Tora to transport the satchel that held the signed treaty and a letter to the Hokage from the Yondaime Raikage with Kuma providing backup. Seeing that made him wonder what connection Kirin could possibly have with the two fifteen year olds since that was the only logical explanation for the older AnBu guard to trust the relatively new (and therefore inexperienced) pair with something so important.

He couldn't say that the two teens didn't take their duty of protecting the satchel seriously; Tora had even gone so far as to sleep with the bag on their way to Kumo while Kuma never strayed far from the green eyed teen. It just seemed strange to him for someone to entrust something so important to someone so young. Kakashi took back that thought a heartbeat later as he recalled some of his missions over the years; he'd always been too young in the eyes of the adults and yet they had still trusted him as well; especially Minato.

Of course, the only he reason he was trusted as much as he was despite his age was because people had known what he was capable of accomplishing. That again led him to the conclusion that Kirin knew far more about Tora and Kuma and what they could do than Kakashi did. That kind of knowledge had not come from the files that Kakashi himself had been given to review (if one could call a single stat sheet containing both teens' information a file). Did that mean that Kirin had been assigned as the two teens' handler? If so, why not place them on Kirin's squad once they became full-fledged AnBu Members?

Shaking off the pointless direction of his current thoughts, Kakashi focused on the matter at hand as Kirin signaled that it was time for them to move out. They were met just outside of the door by a single team of Jounin that stepped forward and instructed, "You are to follow us; we will be escorting you out of the village."

"Lead the way," Kirin replied as he inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Kakashi quickly noted that they were not being led back to the village's entrance along the same path that they had been brought to the Foreign Quarter. And while he had spent some time out in the city over the past five weeks, he was not familiar enough with the village to know whether or not they were being guided to the gate or if they were being led to an ambush. The seventeen year old nearly jumped out of his skin when Kuma cheerfully began whistling an unfamiliar but happy tune and to Kakashi surprise, Kirin actually relaxed just the slightest bit.

It was at that point that Kakashi recalled just how much time the two teens had spent exploring the village and he quickly came to the conclusion that Kuma had recognized the path they were taking and that it was the correct path based upon the jaunty tune of the melody he was whistling. Their escort, on the other hand, actually tensed and half reached for their weapons in response to the cheerful sound; the four Jounin obviously assumed (correctly) that the whistling was some kind of signal.

Just when it appeared that the Jounin had reached the end of their tolerance, Tora began whistling the harmony to the song that Kuma had started. Kakashi felt an urge to strangle the teen for all of two seconds until it became apparent that their escort had immediately relaxed in response to the duet. In fact, the longer the pair whistled, the more relaxed the four became when absolutely nothing happened. The real shock came when the youngest Jounin in their escort (the man couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen years old) began whistling along as well until one of his fellow Jounin reached out to slap him upside the back of the head.

Just five minutes later, they were delivered to the gates where they were quickly checked out by the same guards that had checked them in five weeks earlier. Both men eyed them closely and seemed to count their numbers twice (as if making certain they were all there and that there were no extra bodies tagging along) before they ordered them to leave. Their escort then spread themselves out to prevent any of them from sneaking back into the village. As one, all eight Konoha shinobi bowed low to their escort before they turned around and began trotting down the road that led out of the mountain.

The two fifteen year olds continued to whistle for another mile before they fell silent at the same time as Kakashi sensed their escort become their tail as the four Jounin began following them. After the fifth mile, a discreet signal from Kirin had the group transitioning from a steady trot to a ground eating lope in an effort to increase the distance between them and those that followed. When they reached mile thirty-five and the bottom of the mountain road leading up to Kumo, Kakashi felt their pursuers drop away and rapidly fall behind at the same time as he sensed a single, weak point of chakra fall into step with their group from the left.

If not for the fact that the small point of chakra continued to keep pace with them long past the point where a wild animal would have lost interest, Kakashi would have dismissed their new follower as a wild dog or a bird. He didn't completely rule out the possibility that it was an animal following them but now he was thinking more along the lines of a small summons or a trained nin-animal. He also considered the possibility that their new companion was a shinobi that was suppressing their chakra in order to make themselves less noticeable.

Kakashi monitored their stalker for another two miles before he moved up to pass the information to Kirin. The mission leader acknowledged his report and replied back that they would deal with their shadow when they reached their base camp. The man then moved back to give a specific set of instructions to Kuma and Tora before he took point once more. This time, Kakashi could find no fault or confusion in Kirin's logic in using the two youngest members of their team to lay the ambush; he'd seen their skills in trapping and capturing personally – though he was uncertain how effective they would be without the use of their Kekkei Genkai.

They would reach their base camp just as the sun began to set and instead of immediately slipping into the concealed cave, Kirin had them set up a mock camp directly in front of their hidden base. As Kakashi prepared a fire, he watched Kuma and Tora out of the corner of his eye. The two younger teens appeared to be having an argument; the first such argument he'd ever witnessed between the two of them since they'd been assigned to his squad and that knowledge actually left him feeling uncomfortable.

As if the sight of the pair arguing was a sign of impending doom.

At the same time, he sensed their little stalker moving in closer and part of him was unsurprised when the person (or trained animal) drew closer to the teens that had resorted to physically shoving one another. The mock shoving match (Kakashi had noted that neither boy was actually making full contact) continued to escalate until it seemed that every one's attention was solely on the bickering teens. It was at that point that their shadow crept right up to the camp; as if the loud fight was actually feeding the stalker's confidence.

Kakashi would see a brief flash of what he believed was yellow hair just before the two teens sprang into action in mid shove; both boys pouncing on their prey with the efficiency of stalking tigers. There was a brief scuffle before Tora rose to his feet and jerked a smaller figure up with him as he spun the person around into a choke hold with one hand while his other hand pressed a kunai to the person's heart. Kuma stood up at almost the exact same instant and drew the tanto from the middle of his back before he leveled the blade so that their new prisoner was staring at the sharp point sitting a hair's breadth away from their left eye.

Kuma then made a strangled sound in the back of his throat that sounded half annoyed and half amused as he leaned back just enough to put a half an inch between their prisoner and his blade. When it became obvious that their prisoner was not going to make any attempts to escape, Tora leaned down to hiss, "Walk forward, slowly. Do not make any attempt to escape or we will not hesitate to cut you down."

The trio then moved into the center of the camp with far more grace than expected given their awkward positions. It was at that point that Kakashi got a good look at their stalker and he nearly cursed when he saw it was a little girl. Kakashi could have sworn he heard Tora curse several times under his breath the moment the younger teen saw their captive's face but he couldn't be certain because it sounded more like a steady stream of hissing than actual words.

The girl spun around to face the green eyed teen the moment Tora lowered his kunai and relaxed his hold on her and Kakashi felt like bashing his head against the rocks when she begged, "Take me with you, please! I promise I won't get in your way. Just please, please don't make me go back. You're the only one that ever stood up for me. The only one that didn't see me as a monster the moment you looked at me."

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Hai – yes  
>Kirin – giraffe<br>Kuma – bear  
>Taka – hawk<br>Tetsu no Kuni – Iron Country  
>Tora – tiger<br>Youjiyo – little girl

**Notes: **

The girl – for those of you who think you know who the girl is and who recall her canon age, please don't tell me I made a mistake; I changed her age for a reason. Those of you that haven't figured out who the girl is please be patient; it will be revealed within a couple of chapters.

Samurai Sai the Vampire Hunter – a made up manga/comic book fabricated by the author for this FanFiction

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> _For those of you who have not read the latest chapter on Stubborn Shadow, Bug Boy, Dark x Wizard x Hunter, or Magic Online and saw my note at the bottom of the chapter, I will be modifying my update schedule from this point forward; posting just one chapter per day rather than two. My reasoning for changing how many stories I update a day is to give me time to actually answer your reviews; meaning that I will update one story per day and then reply to the reviews of the story I updated the previous day instead of updating a second story. The new schedule will come into affect on Monday, December 22. ~ Jenn_


	23. The Complications

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Three: The Complications<span>

_October 04, 0295 AtD, 6:28 PM  
>Outside of Kumogakure no Sato, Kaminari no Kuni<em>

"I am afraid that you are mistaken, child; you could not have seen any of us except from a distance because we did not leave our hotel except for the times that we spent in meetings with the Raikage," Kisuke corrected while Kojimaru was still trying to process the fact that the little girl he'd rescued from perverts just a few days earlier had somehow managed to find and follow him all because he'd saved her from her attackers.

"Chigau!" the girl countered with conviction as she shook her head; the vigorous movement causing the tightly wrapped braid she wore to whip back and forth. "I know he's the one who saved me because I recognized his eyes. He's the only one I've ever seen with eyes the color of grass."

Kojimaru felt sick to his stomach as he felt more than one pair of annoyed glares flick in his direction as he finally recalled the way the girl had stared him in the eye after he'd cleaned her up. His attention was then drawn back to the girl as she reached out to grab hold of his shirt as she blurted out, "You said you were a friend and that you wanted to help me. I'm begging you; please help me! I can't go back! I can't take it any more."

Kojimaru felt his heart falter in his chest as he stared down into the child's shimmering blue eyes that were filled with an endless torrent of fear and pain buoyed by desperate hope. It was like looking in a mirror as he vividly recalled seeing that same look in his own eyes on more than one occasion when he'd been growing up. Seeing that pain in another's eyes hurt in ways that took his breath away and made him want to kill someone even as it froze him in his place.

"Let's take this inside before we draw any more attention to ourselves," Kisuke instructed as he stepped forward to lift the girl up into his arms. The girl squirmed for a moment as she twisted around in order to keep hold of Kojimaru's gaze as his honorary uncle carried her towards their hidden base. Just before they disappeared into the base, Kisuke glanced back and ordered, "Snap out of it and help clear up the tracks."

"Hai," Kojimaru automatically replied as he tore his gaze away from the girl's and robotically began removing all evidence that the child had ever been there; which included sending a Doton Bunshin to erase her back trail.

Numbness settled over Kojimaru as he worked; the knowledge that he'd messed up big time pressing down on him like a physical weight. He couldn't believe that he'd been so stupid. He knew his eyes were unique and that they stood out. He also knew that being recognized on this mission would cause problems down the road if the Raikage should ever wish to get revenge for being coerced into signing the new treaty. Or for the capture and subsequent execution of the man that had attempted to kidnap the Hyuuga Heiress.

He had been so careful. He had taken careful pains to keep his eyes hidden behind different styles of goggles and glasses each time he changed his disguise. And then he'd gone and messed up because he'd let his temper get the best of him when he'd found those two perverts accosting a little girl. No, not just a little girl; a little kunoichi in training. Worse yet, was the fact that he'd not once noticed that she'd been following him closely enough to have seen him entering the Foreign Quarter in his disguise because that was the only way she would have linked his disguise to his masked visage.

His mistake had put the entire team in jeopardy.

If the girl had told even one other person about the boy with green eyes that had saved her…

It made him sick just thinking about it.

Kojimaru was pulled out of his downward spiral as he finished erasing the signs of the scuffle that had taken place when he and Tenzou had captured his stalker by a hand falling on his shoulder and he glanced up to find Inu staring down at him with an unreadable look in his single visible eye. Shortly after he met the older teen's gaze, Inu instructed, "Make another Bunshin and leave it out here before you head inside."

Kojimaru nodded morosely as he formed yet another Doton Bunshin. Once the clone was fully formed, he made his way to the cliff and shifted through the wall into the hidden cave. A brief search of the cave let him know that most of his current teammates were inside already. He studiously avoided meeting the blue-eyed gaze of his personal stalker as he made his way over to the clone he'd left in the cave and poured a bit more chakra into it so that it would last a while longer.

He then made his way over to where Tenzou was seated against the wall and sat down beside his brother. Tenzou shifted so that their shoulders were touching as soon as Kojimaru had settled and the green eyed teen drew comfort in the fact that his brother, at least, wasn't angry at him over his mistake. Inu would be the last one to slip inside; Taka and one of Kisuke's squad members had remained outside in order to stand watch over their decoy camp.

"Now that most of us are here; would one of you care to explain?" Kisuke demanded as he turned his mask in Kojimaru and Tenzou's direction.

"The incident took place early on the morning of the twenty-ninth," Tenzou began after he cast a brief glance at Kojimaru. "We were on our way to the library when we heard a small commotion coming from an alley. We went to investigate because we were the only ones in the immediate area and we found two older men molesting a little girl."

"I'm not little!" the girl in question interjected hotly before Kisuke silenced her by lightly dropping his hand on her head.

Tenzou waited for her to fall silent before he continued, "I stayed by the alley's entrance to keep an eye out for a passing shinobi we could report the incident to or in case there was a third individual involved while my partner moved in to stop the crime. Once both men had been subdued, my partner approached the victim and engaged her in a short conversation as he treated her injuries. The girl refused an escort to her next destination when it was offered before she took off. That was the last time we'd seen her until just now. After the girl left, I noticed that my partner's glasses had been knocked askew at some point and fixed them for him before we continued on to the library."

"And do you have anything to add?" Kisuke inquired as his gaze shifted to Kojimaru and Kojimaru shook his head no.

"Why didn't either of you report the incident when we met on the thirtieth?" Inu demanded from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"It didn't seem important at the time."

"It didn't seem important? One of you broke cover and it didn't seem important?"

"We didn't break cover and at the time we thought it had been too dark in the alley for anyone to make out the color of his eyes," Tenzou countered in Kojimaru's defense. "We were still wearing our disguises during the incident and we never gave the girl our names; not even the aliases that we were using at the time. No one approached us to interrogate us about the incident and we were not tailed by any shinobi at any point between the incident and when we checked in. Or even when we returned to the main part of the village in a new disguise after our meeting."

"And yet, the two of you were followed by the one who saw you," Inu pointed out as he gestured towards the sulking girl that was seated beside Kisuke. "How do you know that she didn't inform her parents or the guards about you? For all you know, she was sent to track you because they knew you would not see her as a threat and even now there could be a squad of hunter nin on our trail."

"There isn't," the girl blurted out. "I didn't tell anyone. I don't have any parents. I don't have a guardian either. I lived alone for years now. No one would have cared even if I had told anyone; the whole village hates me. Even my teachers hated me."

"So, you decided to trust a perfect stranger to take you in and take you away?" Inu asked skeptically.

"He saved me from the creepy men that were touching me and hurting me. Anyone else would have just walked away. If I go back, those men will just hunt me down again. I even saw them watching my apartment when I went back to pack my things."

"We can't take you with us, child; someone is bound to miss you…"

"You can't make me go back. I won't go back. And if you leave me behind, I'll just follow you."

"Or we could slit your throat and bury your body in this cave where it will never be found," Inu countered in a bored tone.

Kojimaru had to force himself not to react to his captain's words as he tasted bile in the back of his throat. He wanted to hate the seventeen year old for threatening the child but he couldn't because he knew that it was his fault that the girl had followed them in the first place. If not for his mistake, the girl would not have had a reason to follow them.

"Then you would be doing me a favor because I would rather die than to be forced to live in that village even one more day," the girl stated in a matter-of-fact tone that caused both Kojimaru and Tenzou to flinch; both teens automatically thinking back to their time in Orochimaru's lab.

"I suppose there is only one thing for us to do then," Kisuke stated as he rose to his feet, scooped the now terrified but resigned girl up off the floor, walked across the cave, and unceremoniously dumped the girl in Kojimaru's lap. "She's your stray, gaki; therefore she's your responsibility. The two of you will need to figure out how to get her out of Kaminari no Kuni without any of Kumo's forces seeing her because if they see us with an extra body, then they will assume that we kidnapped her after her disappearance is noted by the Academy Instructors and use that as an excuse to detain or execute us."

The girl sat tensely in his lap for a heartbeat before she twisted around to wrap her arms around Kojimaru's neck and bury her face against his shoulder. Kojimaru sat frozen in surprise until he felt her body trembling as her tears soaked his shirt. Coming to the conclusion that the girl was experiencing a form of shock due to her life being turned upside down (by her own actions), Kojimaru instinctively wrapped her in a hug as he turned to Tenzou. His brother just shrugged at him in response and Kojimaru rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Are you sure that is wise?" Inu inquired as Kisuke walked away from the trio.

"No, and I am certain that it will only complicate matters at some point down the road but, at the same time, it is the only choice I can make given the circumstances. Leaving her behind, while preferable, wasn't an option because the child was determined to go with us no matter what and killing her would have only created far bigger problems."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Inu asked in confusion laced with more than a little frustration.

Kojimaru glanced up and met Kisuke's gaze as the man replied, "It means that I had no wish to break two young men because one of them made a small mistake while he was defending an innocent child." Kisuke then broke eye contact as he turned to face Inu. "And make no mistake, killing the girl after she spoke of her willingness to die rather than return to her previous home would have broken both young men. Or did you not see their reaction to her words?"

"I noticed… but why would…?"

"This is neither the time nor the place to speak of such things," Kisuke interrupted before Inu could finish asking his question. "I am also not the one you should be asking."

"Fine, I will leave it be for now."

Kojimaru found no comfort in Inu's agreement to drop his questions for the time being. He was not looking forward to the interrogation that he suspected their captain would put him and Tenzou through the moment they returned to Konoha. An interrogation he suspected the man had wanted to start the day they'd been assigned to their current mission. Heaving a mental sigh of resignation, Kojimaru shoved his worries aside as he turned his attention back to the girl in his arms as he wondered what the hell he was supposed to do with her.

A tap on the knee drew his attention back to Tenzou and the moment he looked up, Tenzou signed, _Stop worrying so loudly. We'll deal with it when we get home. For now, we need to focus on what we're going to do about getting your cute little stalker home._

_The way I see it, we have two options; one, call on one of our summonses and have them take her to their home until we reach the village or two, disguise her as one of us and let her walk in the open while the one whose place she is taking travels underground until we crossed over into Hi no Kuni,_ Kojimaru replied in kind.

_I don't think the others will agree to the first option because calling on one of our summonses would draw too much attention to us. The second idea has merit but she might not be able to keep up with us once we pick up the pace again. Why not leave a clone with the group while one of us takes her with us underground?_

Kojimaru considered the changes to his original idea before he asked, _Are you certain that would work? One of us traveling alone through the ground isn't that noticeable but taking some one with us requires far more chakra._

_It wouldn't be noticeable if we stayed directly beneath the group because the combined chakra of those above ground would mask that of the two traveling underground,_ Tenzou replied after giving the problem some thought. _We could take turns taking her too; so neither one of us grows too exhausted._

Kojimaru nodded in response as he noticed that the girl's breathing had evened out during their silent conversation and that her arms were no longer clinging to him so tightly. A brief downward glance confirmed what he suspected; the girl had cried her self to sleep in his arms. Letting out a soft sigh, Kojimaru glanced back up at his brother only to find Tenzou's dark eyes dancing with laughter at his expense. Kojimaru reached out and poked Tenzou in the side in response before he tipped his head towards the sleeping girl.

Tenzou nodded as he climbed to his feet and dug into his utility pouch for his scroll of supplies. Less than a minute later, Tenzou helped Kojimaru tuck the girl into Tenzou's sleeping bag. Once that was done, Kojimaru ducked behind one of the support pillars that held the cave's ceiling in place so that he could change out of his now damp shirt. He then left Tenzou to watch over the sleeping girl while he started making a simple soup out of some dried venison he'd had in his storage scrolls. Every few minutes, his gaze would be drawn to the sleeping girl as he wondered what would happen to her once they reached Konoha.

When he wasn't dwelling on the girl's future, his thoughts turned themselves towards his own fate. Even a village idiot could tell that he was in serious trouble. He'd messed up. He'd messed up while on a mission. He'd messed up while on a delicate high priority mission where such a mistake could easily spark a war. And what was worse was that he knew better. He'd been trained better.

Kojimaru was startled out of his thoughts for the second time that night by a hand falling on his shoulder. This time, it was Kisuke who had snuck up on him. The green eyed teen briefly met his honorary uncle's gaze before he dropped his eyes back down to the nearly finished soup.

"Stop worrying about it before you make yourself sick, child," Kisuke murmured quietly as he crouched down beside the teen and pulled him against his chest. "Yes, you made a mistake. Yes, the consequences could have been worse. Yes, you will probably be lectured by at least four people for slipping up while on a mission. But it is not the end of the world and the worst that happened is that you picked up a little stray that thinks the world of you because you saved her from a terrible injustice. Every one makes a mistake every now and then, even you."

Kojimaru sagged against the man that had helped raise him alongside of his godfather as Kisuke's soft reassurances chased away the fear that had been hovering in the back of his mind since the moment he'd recognized the girl. Kisuke chuckled softly and gave him a brief hug before he let him go and asked, "Have the two of you figured out how you're going to get her out of Kaminari without being seen?"

"Yeah, one of us will take her underground while a clone takes our place in the group," Kojimaru replied as he stirred the soup to keep it from burning. "To avoid someone sensing us, we can keep pace with the rest of the team so that we won't stand out. The other possible idea I had was to send her to the home of a summons until we reached the village."

"Both ideas have merit," Kisuke agreed as he glanced towards the girl. "They can also be carried out by almost any member of our team; not just you or your partner. We'll stick with the first plan and use the second one as a plan b in case we run into trouble."

Kojimaru nodded in acknowledgement as he pulled the pot of soup from the fire, unsealed the bowls and spoons from his supplies, and began dishing up the food. He passed the first bowl to Kisuke before he began passing bowls out to the rest of the group as they gathered around him the moment they realized the food was ready. Once all of the adults had been served, Kojimaru collected the last three bowls and made his way over to where Tenzou was still sitting beside the sleeping girl and handed one bowl to his brother. He then sat down next to his brother and sat the last two bowls on the floor so he could shake the girl awake.

The girl jolted awake the moment his hand touched her shoulder and stared at him in confusion for a moment before she asked, "Nani…?"

"Supper is ready, youjiyo," Kojimaru answered as he reclaimed both bowls and held one out to her.

"Arigatou," the girl softly replied as she timidly accepted the proffered bowl.

The girl would hungrily devour three full bowls of soup before she curled up in the sleeping bag once more and drifted back to sleep while Kojimaru watched over her and Tenzou washed and put away the dishes. He and Tenzou would then spend an hour playing card games before Kisuke quietly ordered them to get some sleep. Kojimaru unsealed his sleeping bag and unzipped it all the way so they could share the bag while Tenzou pulled out his extra blanket. The green eyed teen didn't bother taking out his own extra blanket since the cold never bothered him.

It would take him nearly an hour to fall asleep and it was only a decade's worth of training and strict discipline that prevented nightmares (triggered by his mistake) from haunting him as he slept; his body and mind trained to block out such things while on missions.

Kojimaru would wake up an hour earlier than usual the next morning due to feeling uncomfortably warm. He was more than a little confused when he opened his eyes and saw that someone had thrown a sleeping bag over him while he'd slept. It wasn't until he tried to sit up that he realized there was a warm body pressed up against him. The tousled head of blonde hair identified his unexpected bedmate as his little stalker. It didn't take him long to surmise that she had been the one to cover him up since the sleeping bag was the same one she was using.

Knowing there was no point in going back to sleep, Kojimaru carefully extracted himself from the sleeping bags and moved a short distance away so that he could cool his overheated body down without affecting Tenzou or the girl. He nearly sighed out loud in relief as a layer of ice coated his body beneath his clothes courtesy of his Hyouton. As his body temperature slowly dropped down to normal (which for him was several degrees below what was considered normal for the average human), the teen made a mental note to ask the girl not to cover him up again.

Once he no longer felt half-cooked, Kojimaru stretched out his muscles in preparation for the day's travel. He was just finishing up when he caught sight of the others waking up out of the corner of his eye. That was his signal to start breaking up camp so that they could move out soon. He started by terminating the Moku Bunshin that had been watching over the camp for the past five weeks; draining the clone of its chakra with a touch of his hand until all that remained was the leaf from which it had been grown. He tucked the leaf into his pocket so that he could use it to create the girl's disguise before he moved to wake up his charge so that he and Tenzou could pack away their sleeping bags.

After the camp had been packed up and a cold breakfast of protein bars and fruit had been eaten, Kojimaru took the leaf back out of his pocket as he stepped up beside the girl, placed the leaf on the top of her head (where she couldn't see it), and instructed, "Alright, youjiyo; close your eyes and hold still so that I can give you a disguise for the rest of the journey."

"Stop calling me that! My name is…"

"Not important right now," Kojimaru interrupted as he reached out to flick her lightly on the nose. "Right now, you have no name, just like we have no name. We can worry about introductions when we reach the end of our journey. Now, close your eyes."

The girl huffed in irritation but didn't say anything further as she finally obeyed the order to close her eyes. Once he was certain she wasn't peeking, Kojimaru silently used his Mokuton: Kamen no Jutsu. When the remains of the leaf crumbled away, the girl was dressed from head to toe in an identical copy of the uniforms and masks that all members of their team were wearing, her eyes had been changed to a dark brown, and her height had been altered so she didn't stand out. He took a moment to inspect the disguise to make certain there were no flaws before he dropped his hand away from her head.

"You can open your eyes now, I'm finished."

"That felt weird. What did you do to me? How did you change my clothes?"

"I didn't change your clothes. I hid them. Stop picking at the disguise or you'll make it fall apart."

"Are the three of you ready to go?" Kisuke inquired as the rest of the team exited the cave after Inu had checked with the guards on the other side to make certain the coast was clear. Kojimaru and Tenzou both nodded in reply while the girl was still too wrapped up in her inspection of the changes that Kojimaru had made to her clothes. "Good. Which one of you will be taking the first turn transporting your little stray and which one of you will be dismantling the cave?"

"I'll take her today," Tenzou offered after he and Kojimaru exchanged a brief glance.

"Alright, go ahead and take her underground now."

"Hai," Tenzou replied as he lifted the girl up off of her feet and swung her around to his back. "Hold on tight, youjiyo, or you'll be left behind."

The two of them sank into the ground a moment later and Kojimaru couldn't resist letting out a soft chuckle when the girl yelped in surprise just before she vanished from view. He then put the girl out of his mind as he began running through the series of hand seals necessary to fill the cave with dirt the moment he saw Kisuke step through the wall. He was buried beneath a ton of dirt and rocks two minutes later but unharmed as he'd merged into the mass of shifting earth the moment he'd activated the jutsu. He stepped out into the open air a heartbeat later to join the rest of the team.

His decoy clone from the prior night was then terminated next before the group moved out and headed south at a ground eating lope. As they ran, Kojimaru kept pace beside Tenzou's decoy clone so that he could protect the clone from any potential attacks and so that he could communicate with his brother through the clone if the need arose. Throughout the course of the day, Kojimaru had to continuously force his mind to focus on his surroundings least he get wrapped up in his thoughts and worries. It was a tiresome struggle and by the time they made camp that night, he was more than ready to curl up and sleep from sheer mental exhaustion.

He wasn't the only one that was utterly exhausted; traveling through the ground with a passenger for an entire day had severely taxed Tenzou's reserves. Even reabsorbing his clone (to reclaim the remaining chakra) didn't give the taller teen much of an energy boost and he'd crawl into his sleeping bag right after supper and sleep through the night. After supper, Kojimaru would make another decoy clone before he spent the night in a small burrow beneath the camp with Tenzou and the girl. He'd wake up feeling overheated and the girl plastered to his side for the second time in a row the next morning after he'd forgotten to ask her not to do that.

The rest of the day would then be spent tunneling endlessly through several tons of dirt and rocks as he struggled to keep pace with those above the ground and ignore the suffocating feeling of being trapped in the dirt where he couldn't feel the wind or sense the trees (not that there was really any of the latter to sense in this barren country). It also didn't help that his ability to sense the chakra of his teammates had been severely hampered due to the nature chakra found within the earth drowning it out. More than once he wished he had Tenzou's ability to connect to his Moku Bunshin; it would have made it far easier for him to stay directly beneath the group.

As it was, Kojimaru had to rely heavily upon his sense of direction, his knowledge and memory of the geography of Kaminari no Kuni, his instincts, and the small pulses of chakra that his brother and Kisuke would send into the ground every five miles to guide him.

Near the middle of the afternoon, Kojimaru felt a knot of worry return his stomach when Kisuke sent a trio of short, back to back pulses of chakra into the ground; the agreed upon signal that they were stopping and that they had company. By the time his brain had finished registering the third pulse, he'd already stopped his forward momentum and dropped down another forty feet in order to make it harder for anyone on the surface to sense him and his passenger. He then made himself comfortable, quietly warned the girl to keep silent, and waited for the all clear signal to be sent.

When the thirty minute mark came and went without the all clear signal, Kojimaru began to worry that something had happened on the surface. The knot that had formed in his stomach when he'd first been given the signal to stop and burrow deeper would double in size when the forty minute mark passed without a whisper from the surface. It wasn't until nearly an entire hour passed that he picked up two short bursts of chakra followed by a single long one and he let out a soft sigh of relief as he began moving south once more while angling his trajectory towards the surface so that he could move back up to the previous level he'd been traveling at.

Less than an hour after their unscheduled stop, Kojimaru felt the comforting presence of trees invading the earth as he began moving near and through scattered sections of tree roots. All feelings of discomfort that came from being trapped beneath the surface vanished in an instant as his connection to the living forest slammed into him once more. The feeling of belonging rejuvenated him and he was soon slingshotting between tap roots instead of just barreling endlessly through the dirt. Soon after finding himself amongst the trees once more, they began rapidly climbing in elevation as the temperature began dropping equally as fast; they had reached Shimo no Kuni.

The sound of teeth chittering right next to his ear and the steady shivers radiating from the body clinging to his back had Kojimaru digging into his utility pouch for the thick, pale gray AnBu issued winter cloak that he always carried but never wore without slowing down. Once he had it out, he paused for two full heartbeats so that he could sling it around his back to settle overtop of the freezing girl holding onto him before he began moving again. When she attempted to share the cloak with him, he stopped her hands and tucked the edges underneath her arms instead as he lowly told her to tuck the edges in beneath the rest of her body to conserve her body heat.

After a slight hesitation, she did and within just a few minutes her teeth stilled and the tremors wracking her body slowed to a stop. Kojimaru, in the meantime, reveled in the still dropping temperature; it made him feel alive and the pervasive chill sang to his Hyouton. He briefly wished he was up on the surface where it was colder and where he could touch the ice and snow that clung to the lush mountains that made up the entirety of Shimo no Kuni; mountains that were the complete opposite of those barren ranges that littered Kaminari no Kuni.

After leaving Kaminari no Kuni's borders, the eight shinobi and one tag-a-long would travel for another four hours in order to put as much distance between them and the border as possible before they stopped for the night. Which amounted to a full two hours beyond what they would usually travel in a day because they had been trying to make up for the hour's worth of travel they had lost when they had been stopped during the afternoon. Kojimaru was almost disappointed when he sensed the twin pulses that indicated they were stopping once more.

Shoving down the playfulness that had filled him the moment the temperature dropped, Kojimaru slowed down and made a cozy little earthen cave between a trio of close growing tap roots. He then peeled his half frozen charge from his back so he could dig out his sleeping bag and start a small fire; both amenities intended for the still partially chilled girl watching him with wide eyes. She let out a strangled squeal of annoyance when Kojimaru tossed the sleeping bag over her head without any warning and the green eyed teen couldn't help but snicker at the rather ineffective glare she leveled at him from beneath the bulky bag.

The girl huffed and grumbled under her breath but quickly burrowed into the insulated sleeping bag in search of warmth before she inched closer to where Kojimaru was building the fire. Once he had a cheerful, if small, fire going, Kojimaru set about making a small pot of tea and a pot of soup. He paused halfway through preparing the soup to toss a protein bar to the girl when he heard her stomach growl loudly in the small burrow.

Just a few minutes later, Kojimaru pulled the boiling kettle of water from the fire and set the tea leaves to steeping before he finished adding the dried vegetables and dried flakes of fish to the soup pot. Next, he unsealed a pair of cups, bowls, and spoons for them to use while he waited for the leaves to finish steeping. He then spent a little time tending to the soup, stirring the contents of the pot to prevent the bottom from burning. Satisfied that the soup was coming along nicely, Kojimaru turned his attention back to the tea pot, filled the two cups he'd pulled out, and added a touch of honey and lemon juice to both before passing one to the girl.

He had just taken his first sip of black tea laced liberally with lemon and honey when their small sanctuary was invaded by Tenzou. Kojimaru eyed his brother carefully for a heartbeat, noting the exhaustion that still lingered in his dark eyes, before he unsealed a third cup and prepared a cup of tea for the younger teen. Tenzou accepted the cup with a soft moan of anticipation and appreciation that made Kojimaru grin beneath his mask. Another ten minutes passed as the three of them silently savored their tea (Kojimaru because that was what he did and the other two because of the warmth it provided) before Tenzou finally brought up his reason for joining them.

"They are waiting for you up top; someone burnt the soup again."

"Figures, you'd think he'd know better than to even try by now."

"You'd think the others would know better than to let him try by now, given how long they've been a team," Tenzou retorted with a snort.

"True. Go ahead and help yourself to my half of the soup; I'll eat up top before I come back."

Kojimaru then refilled his half empty tea cup and covered it with his hand before he merged into the nearest tap root and made his way up to the surface. He stepped out of the pine tree whose roots he'd been using as a passageway just a few seconds later and into a light snowstorm. He stilled for exactly sixteen full seconds and tilted his face upwards as his body temperature dropped even lower and his blood filled with a freezing rush of ice cold chakra. He then snapped out of the spell as he pulled the chill from his tea (to keep it from freezing) and headed towards the snow covered tarps that had been secured over the group's camp in order to keep the snow out and the heat in.

He briefly shifted himself back under the ground to avoid opening the overlapping tarps (the others would be annoyed if he allowed any cold air to slip into their little pocket of carefully hoarded heat). Once he resurfaced inside of the tent, he had to pause and give his body a moment to adjust to the change in temperature as he broke out into a sweat due to the sweltering wave of heat hit him. He let out a soft growl of annoyance as he applied a thin layer of ice to his skin beneath his uniform to compensate for the heat until he was no longer sweating.

"The temperature difference would not have affected you quite as much if you'd just come straight to the tent instead of taking a detour though the snow first," Kisuke dryly pointed out as glanced towards the teen.

"I wouldn't have had to if someone hadn't foolishly let you try to cook again," Kojimaru retorted around a sip of tea as he headed for the small campfire at the center of the makeshift shelter as he pulled out his supply scroll once more.

"How else would we get you to willingly cook for us if you didn't feel sorry for us each time he utterly destroyed our supper?" one of Kisuke's subordinates cheekily asked.

Kojimaru snorted as he started a second, larger pot of fish and vegetable soup and replied, "Why do you think I make it a point to avoid being assigned on missions with the lot of you for the most part?"

"I can and will file a request to have your pay docked for disrespecting a superior," Kisuke teasingly threatened in response to the barbs aimed at his cooking skills, or lack thereof.

"No you won't," Kojimaru shot back without a missing a beat. "Both your bed and your favorite chair have wooden frames and we both know you dislike finding splinters in uncomfortable places."

"Insolent gaki," Kisuke huffed around a smother chuckle.

"I live to annoy," Kojimaru agreed to a chorus of guffaws from the rest of those present as he settled beside the soup pot to savor his tea while he watched over the simmering pot.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Arigatou – thank you  
>Chigau – can be used to mean wrong, no, or to differ<br>Doton Bunshin – earth/dirt clone  
>Gaki – brat<br>Hai – yes  
>Kaminari no Kuni – Lighting Country<br>Moku Bunshin – wood clone  
>Mokuton; Kamen no Jutsu – Wood Disguise Technique<br>Nani – what  
>Shimo no Kuni – Frost Country<br>Youjiyo – little girl

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _There are a dozen and one things I wanted to comment on but I still can't recall a single one at the moment and it's been days since I originally posted this chapter. ~ Jenn_

**12/29/14:** _Chapter updated to fix a glitch in the chapter that doubled my word count. Not sure what happened or why I didn't catch it sooner but I'd like to thank everyone who pointed it out in reviews and by PM! _


	24. The Impression

**Disclaimer:** _All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites._

**Warnings:** _Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), OCC behaviors and personalities, a number of original characters and obscure canon characters to flesh out family trees, random chosen last names to give a number of characters surnames, and who knows what else._

**AN:** _This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance._

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Four: The Impression<span>

_October 09, 0295 AtD, 12:03 PM  
>Outside of Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni<em>

After another two and a half days of covertly transporting their little runaway kunoichi in training, the two squads of Konoha AnBu and their tag-a-long finally halted long enough to bring the girl up to the surface for the first time in almost a week. Most of the group laughed at the girl's over exaggerated reaction to being above ground once more; the way she took great gulping breaths of air, gaped at the monolithic trees that made up the great forests of Hi no Kuni, and dug her fingers into the grass and weeds that covered the forest floor.

As he loosed a few chuckles of his own, Kakashi noted that the only ones that were not laughing at the girl's antics were Kirin, Kuma, and Tora. Both Kuma and Tora watched the girl with understanding eyes filled with a touch of shared pain while Kirin watched the two boys instead; his eyes tinged with melancholy and unmistakable pride. Filing the trio's reaction away for later study, Kakashi pulled his attention away from the group and focused on their surroundings as he scanned the area for potential threats.

"Are you feeling better now, child?" Kirin inquired when the girl finally settled down and sat down on the ground.

"Hai."

"Good, I am sorry that we had to keep you hidden for so long but we couldn't risk someone seeing you with us while we were still so far from our destination. You will also be happy to know that you will only have to travel in secret one last time before you are free to walk the rest of the way."

"Yippee!" the girl cried out in delight in response to that declaration and Kakashi snorted softly in renewed amusement.

"I'm glad you approve," Kirin quipped with obvious amusement of his own. The mission leader then turned towards to the two youngest members of their team to ask, "Do the two of you still have enough energy to transport the team about twenty miles south and west of our current location?"

The two teens glanced at each other to hold yet another one of their silent conversations before they both replied, "Hai."

"Then let's go; the sooner we get there, the sooner we can drop these disguises," Kirin instructed as he scooped the girl up from the ground and passed her to Kuma.

The brown eyed teen then snagged Kirin by the hand and disappeared into the nearest tree in the blink of an eye. Kakashi frowned slightly when he realized that the taller teen had just left Tora to transport the majority of the group. To his surprise, the green eyed teen didn't make even a token complaint as he quickly and carefully plucked a handful of leaves from the nearest bush and stuffed most of them into his utility pouch before he created four clones from the remaining leaves. The clones then each collected a member of the group while the original Tora took hold of Kakashi's wrist.

A minute later, Kakashi was once again experiencing the disorienting and discomforting sensation of being pulled through wood; only the feeling was ten times worse because he was traveling through living wood instead of dead wood floors. A seeming eternity later, he was once again standing in the middle of the forest fighting an urge to empty his stomach of everything he'd eaten in the last week. The rest of the group, bar the two teens, wasn't fairing much better; the girl had actually lost her breakfast and possibly some of her supper from the night before given how large of a mess she'd made.

"That was awful," the girl declared once her stomach had stopped emptying itself.

"A person's first time traveling through a living tree is always the worst and the longer a person spends in the tree, the worse the disorientation will affect him or her," Tora absently explained as he set about dispelling the four clones that had transported the other four members of their group. "Or so I have been told; I've never felt the disorientation that those I've taken with me have complained about at the end of the journey."

"It felt a bit weird the first time I traveled through a tree but after the third time it felt no different than traveling through the dirt," Kuma supplied as he used a doton jutsu to bury the girl's mess.

"You're both weird," the girl declared as she swung around to stare at the two teens.

"Of course we are," Tora stated airily. "It would be too boring if we were normal. It's much more fun to be weird."

"Far more entertaining for the rest of us too," Taka quipped with a near silent chuckle from behind Kakashi.

"Alright, enough playing around," Kirin ordered just a few seconds later. "It's time for us to shed our current disguises and prepare for our homecoming. That also means that your little stray will need a new temporary face, Tora."

"Hai, Kirin-teichou," Tora replied as he stepped up to the girl and ended the current disguise that had placed the girl in a fabricated copy of the AnBu uniform and blank mask.

The poor girl looked like a bedraggled mess once the jutsu had ended but the image was soon displaced by the new disguise that wrapped around the girl a heartbeat later. Kakashi marveled again over the efficiency and simplicity of the rather complex jutsu that he was pretty certain the green eyed teen had personally created. The girl was now wearing an outfit that could have come out of one of Konoha's many shops and her hair had been turned a nondescript medium brown while her eyes were once more deep brown. All in all, she looked rather forgettable.

Kakashi took a moment to swap out his mask and remove the hood from his head before he studied the two youngest members of his team from the corner of his eye. He hadn't failed to notice the way that both teens took careful pains to allow no one to see their faces as they switched their masks as well. He briefly wondered if it was just habit or if they were really that untrusting of their present company. That soon led him to wondering if either teen would ever willing bare their faces to him or Taka.

"Your name is Tora?" the girl asked curiously as she stepped up to the green eyed teen and stared intently at the orange and white cat's mask he had donned.

"It is," Tora agreed with a nod as he briefly glanced down at the girl.

"Is that your real name?" the girl practically demanded as she grabbed hold of his hand to prevent him from walking away and Kakashi frowned beneath his mask at the child's invasive line of questioning.

Tora tipped his head to one side and his eyes took on a calculating glint as he returned his gaze to the child and Kakashi wondered what the teen was thinking. The teen then hummed a single soft note beneath his breath before he replied, "It is a name that is as real as this face I wear and that is all you need to know."

Kakashi's brain immediately slipped into overdrive as he analyzed that cryptic response. Was the teen referring to the AnBu mask he wore? Was his response an indication that he was wearing a disguise beneath his mask? Did that mean that the teen had a disguise he wore when he wasn't wearing the mask? Was that an implication that the teen had no life outside of the mask, much like Yagi and a handful of the other older AnBu Operatives that never removed their masks? Or was it simply Tora deflecting the child's questioning in order to get her to stop asking him?

The seventeen year old AnBu Captain filed the remark into the mental file he'd started on the two newest members of his squad for later contemplation as he checked on the rest of their party before he turned his attention back to the forest around them. His attention would be drawn back to the group not long after that when Kirin spoke up to address them once more.

"Alright, after much consideration over the past handful of days, I have decided that we will break into two groups at this point. My squad will take the treaty on ahead to Konoha and brief the Hokage on the complications that cropped up towards the end of our mission while Squad Inu will escort Tora's little stray to the village."

Kakashi took the decision in stride as he'd expected the older man to split them up at some point shortly after he'd made the decision to bring the girl with them. It was a logical choice; since splitting them up coupled with their brief jaunt through the trees would further muddle their trail and make it harder for anyone tracking them to pick up any signs of their extra companion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tora silently take off the satchel he'd been diligently carrying for the past six days and pass it to Kirin without a word.

Kirin and his squad disappeared into the forest a moment later, leaving Inu and his squad alone with their little unplanned tag-a-long. Kakashi eyed his subordinates for a moment before he turned to the girl and asked, "Have you learned how to use chakra to enhance your body to allow you to jump greater distances than normal yet?"

"Hai, they taught us that in our second year at the academy."

"Do you think you have enough control to travel through the trees without falling?"

"I… I think so."

"Tora, you are to keep pace beside her at all times and monitor her progress so you can catch her before she falls if she falters at any point. Kuma, you are to travel directly beneath her in case she ends up slipping and Tora is unable to catch her before she falls. Taka, I want you to take point while I bring up the rear."

"Hai, teichou," all three individuals replied as they launched themselves up into the tree with Tora easily pulling the girl up with him.

Kakashi let them get a few seconds' head start before he followed after them. The rest of the afternoon would pass by rather quickly as they traveled through the trees at a slightly slower than normal pace so as not to push the girl too hard, too fast. The seventeen year old was rather impressed with how well the girl managed despite the fact that he suspected this was her first time ever traveling through the trees (if only because there were so few trees in or around Kumo). He also didn't miss the way the trees shifted and moved to accommodate the girl's shorter stride and he suspected that Tora was purposefully making her path easier to prevent accidents.

After a short internal debate, Kakashi decided not to call the teen out over the blatant waste of chakra unless he foolishly exhausted himself in his efforts to coddle the child. The boy had to know his limits fairly well if he'd been a shinobi for any length of time and if he thought he could afford to use it so casually, then who was Kakashi to stop him? The fact that he was doing it to ensure that the girl wouldn't cause further delays actually made it a somewhat sensible move in this case.

They would stop just after sunset and Kakashi left the other three to set up camp while he circled the area looking for any signs that there was unwanted company of the two-legged variety in the area. After he was certain their chosen location was secure, he made his way back to camp; stopping only once to kill and collect a pair of pheasants that he'd spooked from their nest. He passed the birds to Tora who in turn passed one of them to Kuma before the two of them deftly stripped the pheasants of their feathers, gutted them, and removed their heads and feet.

As the two teens worked together to prepare supper, Kakashi took the time to study them a little more thoroughly as he allowed himself to truly ponder the mystery that surrounded the pair now that they were nearly home. He had learned far more about the two younger boys during the course of the mission than he had during the handful of training sessions they'd had together before the attempted Hyuuga Kidnapping.

For one thing, they behaved far more maturely than most other fifteen year olds and they rarely ever complained about anything. At least, not while on a mission. The playfulness he'd noted in both boys during their training sessions had mostly disappeared the moment they'd started the mission; bar those moments when it would not directly affect their mission. They never hesitated to follow an order they were given and never protested about any of the less pleasant tasks they were assigned over the course of the mission. All that really told him, though, was that the two of them took their duties as a shinobi seriously.

Another thing he'd learned was that both boys were not only familiar with Kirin but that the older captain trusted both teens implicitly; as displayed by his willingness to entrust their mission documents to the pair and the way he'd allowed the two of them to go off on their own in Kumo despite their relative inexperience when compared to the rest of the group. There was also no denying that the teens trusted Kirin just as much in return. On top of the mutual trust between the three, there was the obvious affection between them. To his chagrin, Kakashi hadn't even picked up on that until after Kirin had made the decision to bring the girl with them.

Part of that, he knew, was because the trio made an effort not to draw attention to their relationship coupled with the professional attitude all three had maintained for most of the mission. In fact, it wasn't until he'd seen Kirin interact with Tora after the group had learned that the teen had broken cover (slight as it was) that Kakashi picked up on the closeness the two shared that he knew would have had to extend to Kuma because of how close the two teens were. Seeing Kirin pull Tora into a hug had actually shocked Kakashi because Kirin had a reputation of being cold and calculating.

He'd been equally surprised that the teen had allowed the hug since he'd noticed the way that the teen went out of his way to avoid physically interacting with people outside of training unless it was unavoidable (Kuma being the only exception). Whatever it was that Kirin had whispered to the kid (in a voice far too low for Kakashi to pick up) had seen Tora immediately relaxing as well. It was a response that had Kakashi nearly one hundred percent certain that the two of them, or more correctly, that the three of them had known each other for years.

Kakashi shelved that line of thinking and turned to focus on the relationship between the two teens instead. He'd known that the two of them were close before Kasai had decided to push them forward for Kakashi to take onto his team. What he hadn't realized was just how close the two were. Oh, Kasai had tried to tell him but mere words just didn't do justice to the bond that the two teens shared. More than once Kakashi wondered how it was possible for the two boys to not be romantically involved with one another given the intimacy they shared – and he wasn't referring to sexual intimacy.

They lived and breathed in perfect unison without any visible effort on their part. They held entire conversations with a single glance. They were hyper sensitive to each other's physical presence _and_ to each other's emotional state. Their collaborative fighting style was seamless and damn near flawless as demonstrated by their capture of Tora's little stalker that first night out of Kumo. And the two of them were very, very protective of each other.

It was a beautiful relationship and Kakashi pitied anyone that attempted to come between them. He also envied the pair their closeness as it cruelly showed him exactly what he could have had with Obito and Rin if he hadn't been such a fool when he was younger. He wanted to resent them for the way their closeness taunted him and ripped the thin scabs that had formed on the wounds his soul still bore from the losses of his first teammates and sensei. They made him yearn for the unattainable and the more time he spent around them the harder it was to ignore the growing desire inside of him.

And no, it was not a perverted desire. He just longed for meaningful companionship from a person that knew him so intimately that no words would be required between them unless they wished it.

Maito Gai had tried to be that person but the man's loudness grated on his nerves more often than not. That wasn't to say that Kakashi didn't consider Gai to be a good friend, he did; he just wasn't the other half of his soul in the way that Tora and Kuma were both halves of the same soul.

There were days when Kakashi feared that that person was Obito and that he'd missed his only chance for completeness.

Shaking away the maudlin direction his thoughts had taken, Kakashi once again focused on Tora and Kuma as the two of them rigged up a makeshift spit to roast the two pheasants on. This time he let his thoughts turn to what he'd learned of their skills over the course of the mission.

To start with, the two teens were both comfortable outdoors and used mundane survival skills as easily as they wielded ninjutsu. That told him that they were used to camping outdoors and most likely from a young age since their familiarity around a camp (regardless of the terrain or the weather) would have taken years to establish. Both boys could cook using both fresh ingredients or dried supplies, though Tora tended to do most of the cooking. Tora was also far more creative when he cooked – never cooking the same meal twice. Both boys were good trackers with Kuma being the better of the two. Kuma also appeared to be something of a sensor as he tended to be more aware of their surroundings than Tora.

Their stamina was also rather impressive, especially Tora's. Oh, they both had their limits, just like anyone else, but their limits were far greater than he had expected them to be. During their training sessions, Kakashi had done his best to drive both teens into the ground in order to find out just how much they could take but they always came back the next day without showing any signs that they'd been pushed beyond their endurance the previous day. That was doubly so for Tora. In fact, until he'd witnessed Tora truly pushing himself to exhaustion during the ten hour long roundup of internal threats after the Hyuuga Kidnapping, he had been wondering if Tora even had limits.

The kid did and there had been a brief moment when he feared the kid would keel over and die. Seeing the kid's internal healing ability just suddenly stop working had scared the shit out of Kakashi. Seeing a partially healed wound un-heal itself as the kid continued to fight and use his Mokuton was something that Kakashi never wanted to see again. Not only was it disturbing but it gave the impression that Tora had been making his condition worse by pulling his chakra away from his injuries just to keep fighting.

And despite how much worse the kid had looked in comparison to his own injuries, the little brat had still been released from the infirmary long before Kakashi had regained consciousness. It would have made no sense to Kakashi if he hadn't already known that both boys shared a healing Kekkei Genkai, though Kuma's ability was far weaker than Tora's.

That in itself was rather odd, according to what little he'd been allowed to see of their files, both boys shared quite a bit but there was no indication that they were actually related to one another. Sure, they considered themselves brothers but they were not actually listed as brothers or even cousins in their files. He couldn't yet say whether or not they shared any physical features (since he hadn't actually seen their faces) but if he had to hazard a guess, he would say the answer was no, they did not. That answer was based upon what he could see of the two; their hair was different colors with different growth patterns and textures, their eyes were different shapes and colors, and their basic body builds were very different with Kuma being both taller and thinner than Tora.

Thinking about the two teens' physical differences soon had Kakashi thinking of the differences he'd noted in the way they used their Mokuton. Even the way they created their Moku Bunshin was different. Regardless of the variances that could be found in a Kekkei Genkai, the foundations of the Kekkei Genkai were always the same. You could always see the base form of the ability in any modified jutsu. And yet the only true similarity he'd seen to date between Kuma and Tora's Mokuton was the fact that they were both made up of the earth and water elements.

Based upon what he'd learned about the Shodai Hokage's famed Mokuton after he'd become a ward of the Sandaime Hokage, he knew that Kuma's Mokuton closely resembled the Shodai's Mokuton. Tora's Mokuton, on the other hand, was nothing at all like Senju Hashirama's Kekkei Genkai. He couldn't recall ever seeing Tora transform his chakra into wood; the green eyed teen always manipulating existing trees or parts of trees instead. Did that mean that Tora could not turn his chakra into wood or was it an indication that the gaki purposefully been holding back?

He supposed it could also be the kid's way of conserving chakra but that didn't really make sense because it was quite obvious that Tora's chakra reserves were at least three times larger than the average shinobi's chakra reserve. Kakashi thought the kid's reserves might even be close to twice the size of his own but it was hard to tell for certain due to how quickly the kid regenerated his chakra.

The only way Kakashi could think of to truly determine just how large Tora's reserves were when compared to his own was for the both of them to create as many Kage Bunshin as they could and count the difference. Kakashi was also certain that Kasai, Kirin, Kuma, and the Hokage would all kill him if he even suggested trying that method because of the risk it would pose to both of them. He may be more than a little socially inept and have a bit of a sadistic streak but he was not stupid and he could no longer be accused of being suicidal; Kasai and Yagi had beat that character flaw out of him before he finished his AnBu training.

Kakashi was drawn out of his musings at that point by a plate of roast pheasant being shoved under his nose and he glanced up to find Kuma standing over him with laughing brown eyes. It was almost as if the kid knew exactly what Kakashi had been thinking about for the last hour. Well, it wasn't as if Kakashi had made any attempt to hide the fact that he'd been observing the two so it wasn't inconceivable that both boys knew they'd caught his attention. With how observant both teens usually were (star-struck blonde waifs aside), Kakashi wouldn't be surprised to learn that they'd known he was trying to figure them out before the end of the first training session he'd put them through.

Kakashi accepted the proffered plate with a silent nod of thanks and dug into the food with relish. The seventeen year old couldn't remember the last time he'd been eaten so well on a mission. Well he could, if he really wanted to, but he was far too busy enjoying his current meal to bother summoning up the memories right that moment. He idly wondered if he could smuggle Tora home with him so he could keep the younger teen as his personal chef; it would certainly be a huge improvement over eating his own cooking all the time. He immediately dropped that line of thinking when he realized that kidnapping Tora would likely see him on the receiving end of some seriously humiliating pranks from both teens.

That made him wonder if those two brats were responsible for the odd splinters he kept sitting on since the day the two of them had been officially assigned to his team. He hadn't forgotten Tora's petulant threat after the first time he'd called the teen by the nickname the contrary otter he'd summoned had called him. It was that memory that led him to believe that yes, those two were responsible for the splinters he'd needed to dig out of his butt each time he sat down in a chair for the week following their placement on his team.

As he chewed on another bite of roast pheasant, Kakashi began plotting just how he would get the two teens back for the unwarranted (at least in his mind) splinter pranks coupled with Tora's repeated feminine role casting with his undercover disguises while they were in Kumo. A sadistic smile curled the corners of Kakashi's hidden mouth as he came up with the perfect prank. What made it even better was the fact that he could play it off as training. Yep, he was going to enjoy getting them back as soon as they got back to the village.

Kakashi spent the rest of the evening revising his plans for revenge and watching over their camp.

Bright and early the next morning, the five of them continued on their way towards Konoha after a cold breakfast of leftover pheasant and dried fruit. Unlike the previous six days of travel, the group would stop for lunch around noon in order to give the girl a chance to rest since she was not used to traveling through the trees for such a long distance at their current pace (which was still about half the speed that they would normally travel). Kakashi couldn't help but note that she was holding up far better than most Genin would under the same circumstances.

He was also beginning to suspect that there was more to the child than what she had told them. To start with, while it was obvious that the girl was tired she was no where near exhausted. There was also the fact that her chakra reserves had not dropped in the slightest, leading him to believe that she was actually suppressing her chakra in order to hide her presence. He just couldn't tell if it was an instinctive habit born of necessity (to avoid being noticed by those that might harm her) or if it was something she had been taught and used to her advantage (to make her seem less of a threat).

She was also far too aware of Tora's presence; she never stopped watching the teen and she never missed an opportunity to initiate physical contact.

He knew that part of that could be attributed to the fact that it had been Tora who had rescued her from her attackers but he also knew that wasn't the only reason she was drawn to the boy. He just didn't know what other reason she could possibly have for being so drawn to the boy, at least none that didn't have negative connotations, and he only prayed that it hadn't been a mistake to bring the girl along. He was at least thankful that both teens appeared to be fully aware of the extra attention that the girl was giving to the green eyed teen.

Kakashi resolved to keep a close eye on the girl in case she had been sent to spy on Konoha and intended to use Tora in order to do so. He also didn't dismiss the possibility that someone else had recognized the teen's eyes from some earlier encounter and that the girl had been sent to gather information specifically on Tora. While most people would scoff at the idea that someone would target a seemingly unknown and uninteresting teen, Kakashi knew that Tora was far more special than most people knew.

His Mokuton or his purported Hyouton (which Kakashi had yet to see the kid use) alone would be enough to gain the interest of even the least powerful village leader. Couple those two bloodlines with his insane regenerative abilities and even the covert organizations would be drooling at a chance to recruit the kid or at the bare minimum steal him for a breeding project in the hopes of producing viable offspring with his Kekkei Genkai that could be trained up as powerful little weapons. If those attempts failed, those same people would do everything in their power to kill the kid to keep others from gaining his power. The same could be said for Kuma as well.

Part of Kakashi wanted to curse or kill Kasai for ever manipulating him into taking those two onto his team due to the headache they were quickly turning out to be. Actually, it wasn't the two boys that drove him up the wall (though their splinters certainly hadn't done him any favors), it was the charge that Kasai had given him to continue to protect the two teens from their unnamed enemy and the rest of the world. He apparently hadn't been too far off the mark when he'd called taking those two onto his team a glorified babysitting job.

Admittedly, their skills almost made up for the headaches they brought with them; the key word being almost. Since their shared Kekkei Genkai was turning out to be a pain in his ass. Quite literally too, if one took into account the high number of splinters he'd had to dig out of his backside since July thirty-first. At least he could look forward to seeing the look on their faces when he threw them to the wolves for a little extra training once they returned to the village. Or rather, the look in their eyes since he doubted the pair planned on taking their masks off in his presence any time soon.

The group would reach Konoha just as the sun was setting that evening and Kakashi ordered Tora to blindfold the girl the moment they saw the walls rising up out of the forest. Kakashi then led the group around to one of the secret AnBu entrances in order to avoid the Chuunin guards on duty at the main entrance. Once they were inside of the village and the passage way sealed once more, Kakashi silently signaled for Tora to remove the blindfold. The seventeen year old then carefully observed the look on the girl's face as she got her first look at Konoha.

When he saw nothing but awe and excitement in her eyes, he felt a little bit better about the decision to bring her along as he doubted a spy would look at another village with anything but a calculating or wary gaze. Of course, there was always the possibility that the girl had been a very well trained actress but he couldn't smell or see any of the telltale signs that the girl's emotions were anything other than genuine. Kakashi let her have another full minute to take in the sprawling village below them before he hustled his squad through the backdoor of the AnBu Facility.

Eight minutes later, the five of them stepped into Kasai's office and the masked man's head snapped up to eye them intently; his eyes lingering on Kuma and Tora before zeroing in on to the only unknown in the group.

Kasai then snorted as his eyes flicked between Tora and the girl before he drawled, "Glad to see that you made it back in one piece, Squad Inu. Inu-teichou and Taka, the two of you are free to go; you can turn in your mission reports and schedule a debriefing first thing tomorrow morning. Kuma, you are to take Tora's little stray to Supply and requisition her a couple changes of clothes before setting her up in Tora's room so she can make herself presentable. Tora, you will stay right where you are; you and I need to have a serious talk."

Kakashi watched Tora wilt in response to Kasai's declaration that they needed to talk before he turned and walked out of the office. He briefly considered tagging along with Kuma and the girl before he decided that his time would be better spent writing up his report. There would be plenty of time later to observe his new subordinates and their little stray.

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong> Japanese to English

Gaki – brat

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> _First, allow me to apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. I originally was only going to delay posting for a day or two because there was all kinds of problems with vanishing chapters back around the first. Unfortunately, I took a leaf out of Tonks' book and tripped over a power cord, scraped my left shin on the vacuum cleaner, smacked my knee on the floor, and smashed my face into the corner of a box of books. I was damn near lucky that I didn't take my eye out and unlucky that the knee that hit the floor was the one I had surgery on a few years back. _

_Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain and couldn't concentrate on any editing or typing. I didn't even do much reading for the last couple of days because of that. That's also the reason why I didn't answer any reviews or PMs over the weekend or earlier this week. I'll be spending time doing that today and tomorrow. And so long as our resident poltergeist (his name is Brewster and he has been here since we moved in, possibly longer) doesn't catch my foot with another cord, I intend to return to my previous posting schedule of one chapter per day. _

_There are some days when I dislike living near an honest to goodness ghost town. Of course, I much prefer living out in the middle of nowhere (aside from the fact that we get poor or extremely service because of where we live) too much to go back to actually living in a city. Far fewer neighbors to pester me here. And yes, I am somewhat anti-social. Comes from spending far too many years in customer service type jobs and being on the receiving end of too much verbal abuse from irate people (from customers, co-workers, & supervisors).  
><em>

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the further insight into Kakashi's mind in this chapter. Next chapter will actually see Tora's little stray being named (so those of you who guessed or did some research to determine which character she is will finally know if you were right or not). The chapter will also explore her reasons for leaving Kumo and her thought process for actually doing so. =) ~ Jenn_


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